


A "Ship" Ton of Davekat

by Sardonyx_xx



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Black-Red Vacillation, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Humanstuck, M/M, Pale-Red Vacillation, Quadrant Vacillation, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2018-07-12 05:16:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7086853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sardonyx_xx/pseuds/Sardonyx_xx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A bunch of one-shot ideas that came from AUs, headcanons, videos, songs, comics, or other stuff. </p><p>All said and done, this is a collection of different ways that I think Davekat would happen in a high-school kind of AU world (also college). Just two dorks falling in love in all sorts of different fucked up times and places. </p><p>Fasten your seatbelts ladies and gentlemen, because this will be one hell of a ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I see you've clicked on this. Excellent. Glad my summary didn't scare you off. Now, before we get down to it, I am a terrible writer. This fic will have little to no editing or rewriting. 
> 
> Again, if you didn't read the summary:  
> One-shots. Lots of them.  
> Davekat. Lots of it.  
> Smut. A strong possibility.
> 
> You have been warned.

"Dave!" Karkat waited a moment, but the only thing that responded to his shout was silence. "Ugh. Dave, get up! We're going to be late!" Again, nothing but his own words echoed back at him. He huffed and started up the stairs. "Goddammit, Dave," he grumbled, "learn to get the fuck up on time." 

Dave's door was slightly ajar, cracked to let the air circulate. Karkat nudged it open with his foot. "Dave. Get the hell up." Dave only rolled over. "Dave, wake up." Karkat kicked him in the side. 

"No," Dave groaned. Karkat, who had recently been hit with the bad part of puberty (feelings and testostorone), couldn't help but notice how groggy Dave sounded. Karkat's stupid 15-year-old brain thought it was sexy. 

Now a brilliant shade of red, Karkat shoved Dave off of his bed and onto the floor. "Get the fuck up!" He snapped. "We're going to be late!" 

The 16-year-old sat up, rubbing his head. His eyes were still closed, but Karkat didn't think anything of it. Though they'd been friends of a sort for years, he'd never seen the other boy's eyes. Dave kept them hidden behind the stupid shades he was currently putting on. "Alright, alright," he said, holding his hands up. "I'm gettin up, don't get your panties in a twist." 

"Oh, fuck you, Strider!" Karkat muttered. He threw a shirt at Dave. "You have ten minutes before we're running late. If you aren't ready in five, I'm walking." 

"Woah, calm down there, babe," Dave smirked. "I'll be ready." He stood and pushed Karkat out of his room before closing the door. 

Karkat went back downstairs and got his bag together. He didn't realize what Dave had said until he was almost done. "Wait. Babe?" 

~ 

They made it, though just by a hair. Karkat managed to slide into his seat right before the bell. Dave, however, wasn't so lucky. Halfway through the hour, Karkat got a text. 

DAVE: dude, busted 

KARKAT: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. 

DAVE: hey no flipping shit alright 

KARKAT: NO, FUCK YOU. I TOLD YOU WE SHOULD'VE LEFT EARLIER. 

DAVE: how is this my fault you couldve just gotten maryam to pick you up if you were so worried 

KARKAT: SHUT THE HELL UP. 

He sighed. This was the third time this month Dave had been late for class. Every single time had been because they'd left late. It was getting annoying. 

DAVE: how come you never get in trouble dude 

KARKAT: BECAUSE I RUN. SOME OF US GIVE A SHIT. 

KARKAT: WHATEVER. I CAN'T REASON WITH YOU. HOW LONG THIS TIME? 

DAVE: um four days 

KARKAT: OH MY FUCKING GOG, THAT'S THE REST OF THE WEEK. 

DAVE: gog 

KARKAT: WHAT THE HELL, DAVE. I HAD PLANS. NOW I HAVE TO CANCEL, BECAUSE YOU'RE MY FUCKING RIDE AND I'LL BE STUCK HERE FOR _TWO_ EXTRA HOURS. THANKS A LOT. 

DAVE: do you even realize what you just said 

KARKAT: THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? 

DAVE: you said gog 

KARKAT: WHO CARES WHAT I SAID? YOU NEED TO GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER STRIDER. 

DAVE: calm down karkles 

KARKAT: I WILL NOT CALM DOWN, FUCK YOU. AND DON'T CALL ME THAT. 

DAVE: yeah whatever i gtg principals here later 

Karkat set his phone down with enough force to make the people around him turn to stare. He glared at them all, then returned to hurriedly scribbling his notes. 

This fucking sucked. 

~ 

Karkat paced around the lobby of the school building, waiting angrily for Dave to get out of detention. He wasn't a happy camper. 

"Yo, Karks. Earth to Karkat. Hello?" Dave was sitting on the bench he'd recently vacated. "You gonna pace all day, or are ya ready to go?" 

Karkat responded with a gesture that would've gotten him detention, too. The two made their way to Dave's beat up red Mustang. Karkat climbed into the passenger seat, still seething. 

Even Dave noticed the atmosphere. "Oh, shit," he remarked. "I'm in for it when we get home, huh?" He grinned, like he thought it would be funny. 

"Just drive, douchebag," Karkat hissed. He turned to glare out to window. 

"Douchebag? I'm hurt, Kitkat." 

"Don't start with your stupid-ass nicknames, I'm not in the mood." Karkat slumped lower in his seat. 

"Alright, alright," Dave said. The rest of the drive was silent. It wasn't until they'd gotten him and put their stuff down that Dave spoke again. "Why are you so pissy about this?" 

It was, apparently, the wrong thing to say. "Pissy?" Karkat asked incredulously. "I am not pissy. I am beyond fucking mad that you had to do your stupid "I'm Dave Strider, and I don't give a shit" thing. I was supposed to go hang out with Kanaya this week, because she's turning 16 on Thursday, but now I'll have to cancel on her because _you_ decided to get detention!" 

"Woah, easy there, Karkles," Dave chimed in. He reached out to put a hand on Karkat's shoulder. "Just calm down." 

"Calm down?" Karkat laughed. "He wants me to calm down!" He pushed Dave's hand off of him and pushed him back. "I don't care if you're twice my size, I'll beat your ass if you don't get your stupid ass together, Strider!" 

Dave chuckled. "That would be a sight to see," he commented. "You can barely lift a textbook and you think you'd win a fight against me?" Now he was just being rude. 

"Watch me, asshole," Karkat snapped. He punched Dave in the gut. Despite his size, he was surprisingly strong when angry. Like the Hulk or something. 

Dave doubled over, but quickly straightened up. He tackled Karkat, and they wrestled on the floor for several minutes. By tomorrow, both would have bruises. Karkat was playing dirty, not just punching but biting and kicking as well. Dave returned the favor, pulling Karkat's hair more than once. 

The fight ended with Dave sitting on Karkat's stomach, smugly smirking. Karkat, who's 15-year-old brain was going a little haywire, possibly because there was a very attractive boy sitting on him, did the only thing he could think of the turn the tables. He reached up and knocked Dave's shades off. 

Dave's grin fell away as the glasses did, and he reached for them almost frantically. Karkat grabbed them first, however, and held onto them tightly. He wasn't the only one internally panicking now. 

"Karkat," Dave said quietly. Karkat was examining the shades. They seemed completely ordinary. So why did Dave wear them? 

"Hm?" 

"Karkat, give those back." Dave changed his position on Karkat's stomach in an attempt to reach them. 

Karkat held them tighter. "Why?" He asked. "What's so special about them?" 

"I just need them, okay? Give them back." Dave tried to uncurl Karkat's fingers. "Karkles, please." 

"I told you not to call me that." Karkat snickered softly. "Please? Are you begging?" He looked up at Dave with a snide remark prepared- and stopped short. "Holy crap, Dave." 

Dave's eyes were red, bright red. The color of fresh blood. And they were currently filled with shame. "Karkat, please just give them back." He reached for the shades again. Karkat made no move to stop him. He snatched the frames and put them back on. "Don't talk about what just happened," he said quietly. He got up and retreated into the kitchen. 

Karkat stayed on the floor for a split second before he also stood. He followed Dave into the kitchen. "Are we just going to not talk about it, then?" He asked. 

Dave looked up from his hands. He seemed perfectly emotionless again, but Karkat wasn't fooled. "Talk about what?" He replied. 

"About the weather, Dave. No! The fact that your eyes are bright fucking red!" He crossed his arms. "That's not normal, Dave." 

Dave came up to him, forcing him to step back. "I don't want to talk about it, Karkat," he practically growled. Karkat swallowed. "Are you calm now about the whole detention thing?" 

Talk about a sudden turn in conversation. "I-I guess I would invite her over for the weekend or something." It seemed like the obvious solution, now that he thought about it. 

Dave nodded. "Alright. I'll be in my room if you need me." He left. Karkat was left trying to process the new information he'd gathered. 

~ 

Three hours later, Karkat was on the couch watching a shitty romcom. He hadn't seen or heard from Dave since he'd gone unto his room, but Karkat wasn't too bithered by it. He was used to Dave's mood swings by now. 

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and unlocked it. It was a message from Dave. 

DAVE: is kankri home yet 

KARKAT: NO. WHY? 

DAVE: come in here for a sec 

KARKAT: INTO YOUR ROOM? WHY? 

DAVE: just come here 

Karkat paused the movie and got up slowly, feeling a bit nervous. Last time he'd been told to go in there, he'd been hit in the face with a shitty j.peg foam sword. He knocked on the door. "Yo," Dave called. 

He pushed the door open and stepped in. Dave was sitting on his bed. "Hi," Karkat said awkwardly. 

"Hey, Karks," Dave replied. He patted the bed next to him and Karkat sat. "Listen, I wanted to apologize for earlier. Blowing you off like that wasn't cool." 

"Yeah, neither was me punching you," Karkat pointed out. Dave chuckled. "Sorry, I guess." Karkat held up a fist. "Are we cool?" 

Dave bumped his knuckles against Karkat's gently. "We're cool," he said. He grinned, then looked down at his lap. "I'm albino. It's why I'm so pale, and have the eyes." 

Karkat nodded. "If it's any consolation, I like them." Dave looked over at him, but he didn't notice. "I think they're beautiful," he muttered to himself. 

Dave smirked. "Beautiful?" He questioned. He seemed to like the idea. 

"What?" Karkat asked. "Did you say something?" 

"You think my eyes are beautiful, Kitkat?" Dave put a hand on his chest, pretending to be overly touched. 

"What? No. Fuck off," Karkat said. He couldn't help smile at Dave's theatrics. "Oh, fine. Whatever. Yeah, they're pretty cool. Fuck off." 

Dave laughed, then reached up and touched his shades. He sat like that for a moment. Then the shades fell into his lap. 

Karkat leaned a little closer, trying to get a better look at Dave's eyes. They really were gorgeous. He didn't realize he was staring until Dave cleared his throat. Karkat went red. "Oh! Uh, sorry," he mumbled. 

"I don't mind," Dave told him. "...Hey, Karkles." Karkat made a noise in his throat. "Mind doing me a favor?" 

Karkat blinked hard. He was still staring. "Yeah?" He asked quietly. 

Dave's eyes darted around the room. "Try and stay as still as possible for a sec?" He requested. Karkat nodded. "And, maybe close your eyes? I have a surprise for you." 

Karkat sighed. He didn't like surprises that much. Still, he dutifully closed his eyes and tried to mimic a statue. It took a moment for Dave to get whatever he had. At least, he thought it did. There was a lot of shifting. After several seconds, the moving stopped. Then something touched Karkat's mouth. He jumped, and the thing pulled away. Then it pressed again, harder. 

That was when Karkat realized what was going on. It was Dave. Dave was kissing him. His heart beat harder and he had trouble thinking straight. Dave Strider was kissing him. Oh dear god. 

It was a chaste kiss, the kind that tends to happen when people are nervous. The kind that is sweet and innocent and lingers for just a few seconds longer than it probably should. 

When Dave pulled back, Karkat could only stare at him. Both boys were red. Dave smiled shyly. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time," he admitted. 

"Then why didn't you?" Karkat asked. His head was spinning. Dave had kissed him. Dave liked him. Sweet jesus, Dave returned his feelings. 

Dave shrugged. "I was scared," he said simply. "You are one cranky motherfucker." Karkat swatted him, and he snorted. "So. I'd really like to do that again." 

Karkat smiled. "I'd really like to let you," he responded. Dave grinned back at him and leaned forward again. 

This second kiss was different. Now that Dave wasn't scared, he took the initiative. Karkat found himself being pulled forward, so that he sat in Dave's lap. And when Dave's tongue swept across his lip, he didn't mind a bit. 

He found that he didn't quite know what to do. It wasn't his first kiss. That honor had gone to his friend Terezi back in 6th grade. Even so, he didn't go around kissing everyone he met. He was lost. 

Dave seemed to know this, because his hand came up to touch Karkat's face and he showed Karkat what to do. It wasn't long before he had the hang of it. It was simple, and when it was Dave, it was bliss. 

Dave leaned back a bit to let Karkat catch his breath and bent down to kiss his neck instead. When Karkat felt teeth against his skin, he shuddered, but managed to shake his head. "No marks," he breathed. "Kankri will kill us." 

Dave sighed, but nodded. "Okay," he whispered. He kissed Karkat again, and they probably would've gone further if headlights hadn't turned into the driveway. "Shit. Looks like he's home." 

"Kankri has the worst timing ever," Karkat grumbled. Dave laughed. 

"Definitely," he agreed. "But he probably brought dinner. Shall we continue this later?" He smirked devilishly. 

"We shall," Karkat told him. They got up and left the room together. 

Karkat slept in Dave's room that night. (They didn't do anything, though)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've completed one-shot lv. 1, congratulations! If you skipped it, good for you, too!

"Okay! That's it, ease it to a stop. I want the 1, 2, 7, and 8 to row for a bit. 3, 4, 5, and 6, take a break, you've earned it! Here in a minute of so, we'll have you guys switch and lead her home," John Egbert, the team's boatswain, called out. Dave gritted his teeth and forced his tired arms to start rowing again. As number 7, he was supposed to be rowing. As part of a team that just finished a gala race, he really didn't want to. 

Dave was the second best rower on the boat, and he was proud of it. He often boasted to other school teams, which often got him a smack on the head from his friend Karkat. He always thought it was funny, since Karkat had such bad language the team had a swear jar just for him. 

Speaking of Karkat, Dave turned to see how his bro was doing. Karkat was relatively new to the team, but he was a decent rower. His skill had landed him in seat 6, directly behind Dave. He was currently sitting with his head leaned back and his eyes closed. "Hey," he said, still breathing hard from exertion. 

Without opening his eyes, Karkat answered, "We did it. Can we go back to our dorms now?" Dave smothered a laugh. This was Karkat's first big gala; no doubt he was exhausted. 

"Not yet. We have to get the boat docked, then we have to sit and wait for the other teams to race. I thought you already knew this?" Dave teased. 

"Fuck off," Karkat muttered. "I do, I'm just wiped. Egbert pushed us harder than usual." He raised his head and opened his eyes to look at his friend. "I just want to get back to the dorm." 

Dave smirked. Karkat would probably go back to the dorm and crash for the rest of the day. Dave had done it after his first gala. "More boats, more pressure," Dave explained. "Besides, you can sleep after we get the boat docked. Coach doesn't mind." As John called for the middle to start rowing, Dave held out his hand. "Swear jar." 

Karkat growled, then pulled a nickle from his pocket and plopped it onto Dave's hand. He grabbed his oars and started rowing. "I'm gonna have blisters," he complained loudly. 

"You'll be fine, Karkat," John told him. They were away from the crowd now, and the others could hear him perfectly. "Terezi, row faster, you're putting her off-kilter." 

Back in seat 1, Terezi, another friend of Dave and Karkat's, glared at John before following orders. The two couldn't stand each other, but they always flirted with each other anyways. "Put you off-kilter," she grumbled. 

"I heard that," John said flatly. Then, "Okay, we're at the dockhouse! Bring her in nice and gentle, guys and gals! That's it, easy. And we're docked! Secure her, and then you can go change. Great work, team!" John hopped off of the boat carefully as the team secured their oars. 

Dave and Karkat finished at almost the same time, and got out together. From seat 8, Vriska grabbed John's hand, and he helped her out. They had been dating for two and a half years now, and they still felt the need to make out anywhere they could. It disgusted Dave sometimes, but he was happy for John. 

Down in seats 3 and 4, Equius and Nepeta were splashing water everywhere. Or rather, Nepeta was splashing Equius while he fastened her oars down. They clambered out, and Dave was floored, yet again, by the fact that they were the same height. Equius seemed so much bigger than Nepeta, who was the most childlike student he'd ever met. Nepeta came pouncing over, with her protective friend close behind. "Karkitty!" She squealed. She jumped on Karkat in a hug. "You did great!" 

"You really didn't do half bad for your first gala," John told him. He raised his voice to address everyone. "We'll go over everyone's performance tomorrow. Shower up, and relax, you've definitely earned it!" 

The team cheered so loudly that seat 2, Sollux, startled and fell into the water trying to disembark. Equius leaned down and pulled him out. "You did well today, Vantas," he said. He didn't hand compliments out lightly, and Dave could tell Karkat was pleased. 

"We thmoked thothe other teamth, huh, KK?" Sollux asked. Even dripping wet, he seemed content. He was a chill guy like that. Dave didn't mind him so much, though they argued pretty often. "Thothe thuckerth got therved!" 

Karkat gave his buddy a rare smile, then turned to Dave. "I'm going to hit the showers. Coming?" 

"Nah," Dave said. "You go on ahead, I'll meet you at our spot." Karkat nodded and led Sollux away. Dave watched them go. 

"You should tell him." Terezi was standing next to him. Dave guessed that she had stayed back to talk to him. 

"Ain't anything to tell," Dave answered. "I don't keep anything from him." Apart from the fact that he'd liked Karkat since their junior year of high school, of course. But that was hardly a secret. Everyone knew. 

Terezi raised an eyebrow. "So he already knows that you're in love with him?" She questioned. "I don't think so. Perjury is against the law, Mr. Strider." 

He snorted. "Yeah, fine. But the only reason he don't know is cause he's so damn oblivious to everything." Dave knew Karkat wasn't as oblivious as he acted, but he also knew that Karkat would never believe the truth. 

"Ooh, Dave owes the swear jar!" Terezi crowed. She slapped him on the back and strode into the women's locker room, cackling as she went. Dave rolled his eyes and dropped his and Karkat's coins into the jar on the way to the showers. 

Dave threw his uniform towards his locker as he entered, making his way over to the bag with his extra clothes in it. As he pulled out a new shirt and pants, he heard Equius humming from his shower stall. It was unusually quiet in the locker room. Somewhere behind him, one of the boys from the men's boat belched, and the room broke into laughter. Dave just shook his head and found an unoccupied stall. 

His shower was relatively short, and Karkat and John were already done when he emerged, towel around his waist. John clapped him on the back as he informed the other boy how the women's boat had done. Dave nodded and tried to look interested, but his attention was focused on Karkat. Had he not known better, he would've sworn his short friend was blushing. 

"John, he'th not paying attention," Sollux commented. "Why are you thtill thpeaking?" He shook his head, sending water everywhere. 

Karkat yelped and glared at his friend. "Watch it, asshole!" He growled. Sollux just smirked and dropped a towel on him. Dave chuckled and used the distraction to pull on his own clothes. 

"Swear jar, Karkles," he said. "Hand it over." Rather than give the coin to Dave peacefully, Karkat opted to throw it at him. Dave caught it before it hit his face. "Careful, Kitkat, don't mess up the masterpiece." 

Karkat flipped him off. "You wish, Strider. I'm going outside." He stalked out. He seemed angry, but they all knew better. He was always angry; this was normal behavior, even toward his best friends. It was just how he was. 

"He left in a hurry," Equius observed. "Was he flustered by Strider's remark?" Dave snorted, while Sollux and John shared a grin. 

"He wath worried Dave would do thomething 'homothexual,'" Sollux teased. "We all know he'th in love with KK, don't we, guyth?" The other guys nodded, while Dave just stared at him. "Maybe he'th finally figured it out." 

"No way," Dave scoffed. "That boy wouldn't know a train if it hit him. He's too oblivious." John raised an eyebrow at him, amd he sighed. "Okay, fine. He's not _that_ oblivious. But he's pretty fricking clueless sometimes. No way he figured it out." 

"I don't know, Dave," John chimed in. "You haven't seen him that much lately, with all the parties you've gone to. He worries about you, man. Even _I_ can see that he worries, and I'm the compulsory heterosexual friend." 

"You're wrong, man. He doesn't give a rat's ass what I do. It's why I roomed with him, he doesn't try to control my life," Dave said. "Or partly why. You know what, screw this. I'm going over to the water, I have better things to do than hear you bicker about my lack of a love life." He turned on his heel and left, popping the nickel and a quarter into the jar. 

~ 

Down at the waterfront, Dave found Karkat sitting on a picnic blanket. He looked tired. Dave flopped down next to him. "Hey, bro," he greeted. 

Karkat responded with a half-hearted glare and a massive yawn. "What do you want, Strider?" He mumbled. Dave could tell he was only minutes away from passing out. 

"Just wanted to get out of the locker rooms," he said. "The guys were being too loud. Thought I'd come hang with my bro instead." 

"And what were the douchebags being loud about?" Karkat questioned. He yawned again. Before Dave could answer his question, however, he shoved Dave down and curled up next to him, using his chest as a pillow. 

Dave was too stunned to formulate a proper sentence. "Um, yeah, whatever," he forced out. Karkat snuggled closer and was asleep in seconds. Or at least, Dave thought he was. It was almost impossible to tell when Karkat was asleep or not. He assumed so, because his friend had just sort of gone limp. 

"Oh, my gosh." It came from a girl nearby. She was wearing the uniform of Alternia State, rather than the Skaia University standard issue. "I didn't mean to be rude, but your boyfriend is adorable!" She smiled at him.

"Oh, no," Dave said, flustered. "He's not my boyfriend, we're just friends. He's just tired after our race." He felt the need to move around, but quelled it so that he wouldn't wake Karkat. 

"You guys are part of a team, too?" The girl asked. "Ooh, what school?" She was easily excitable, Dave noticed. 

"This one, actually. Skaia." Karkat shifted a bit, and Dave ran a hand through the boy's hair. "We're on the mixed boat. Seats 6 and 7." He slowly propped himself up on his elbows, shifting Karkat as he did so. 

The girl gasped. "Oh, goodness!" She squealed. "I'm seat 8 on the girl's boat, but that doesn't matter. Do you know Nepeta Leijon?" 

Dave nodded. "Yeah, actually. Kinda hard not to, when she's in the boat with us all week." Nepeta knew someone from AS? This was news to him. He wondered if Karkat knew. "Oh, my name's Dave by the way. Dave Strider. This is Karkat Vantas asleep here." 

" _You're_ Dave?" She asked. "Wow, you don't look anything like I imagined you. She talks about her boatmates all the time. I thought you were Sollux!" She giggled. 

Dave pretended to look offended. "Do I have an unnaturally thick lisp?" He retorted. "I don't think so. And who are you?" 

"My name's Feferi! Pleased to meet you, Dave!" She scooted closer so that they could shake hands. "Nepeta and I have known each other for years, but... I kinda wish we were something else, you know?" Feferi blushed. 

Dave nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. This one here is so clueless he could fall into the water and not even notice!" He patted Karkat's head. Feferi giggled again. "You should ask her," he told her. "You'd be surprised. Besides, the worst she can do is say no, right?" 

"But that's what I'm scared of! I don't know how to do it, either." Feferi looked so sad that Dave felt he had to cheer her up. 

"Hm, I don't know Nepeta very well, but I would suggest being subtle with it," Dave advised. "Being too forward might scare her off." 

"That's not a bad idea," Feferi mused. "But how would I-" 

She was cut off by a boy yelling, "Fef! Come over here a minute, Coach Noir wants to talk to the girls!" 

She shuddered. "Coming, Eridan!" She called back. She turned to Dave again. "Man, I _hate_ Coach Noir! He's so creepy! But, hey, we should stay in touch! I'll have Nepeta give you my number. I gotta go, thanks for the advice!" She hopped up and took off running. Halfway down the front, she turned around. "Oh, and Dave! Try your own advice! You'd be surprised!" 

Dave laughed at Feferi's words, then turned his attention back to the sleeping guy in his lap. "I wouldn't be surprised," he muttered. He layed back down and started toying with Karkat's hair. "I wish you knew, though..." 

~ 

"Did you get the picture?" Someone whispered. There was an awful lot of snickering. "Good. But should we wake them up? They're gonna miss the results." Why were people laughing at him? And what was he hugging? 

All at once, Dave remembered where he was. He peeled his eyes open to see his team standing over him. Terezi had her Polaroid out. More importantly, Karkat was still sleeping on his chest, only now he also had a leg slung over Dave's. Dave froze, then hissed, "Be quiet! Don't wake him up." 

Too late. Karkat's eyelids fluttered, and he looked around as he woke up. "Dave?" He mumbled. When he saw their position, he sat up hastily. "What the?" 

The others laughed as Dave sat up as well. "Your fault, man," he said. "You're the one that knocked me over, not the other way around." He fixed his tousled hair and looked at his watch. They'd slept for more than an hour. The sun was starting to set, Dave saw. 

"Get up, Karkitty, Dave!" Nepeta squealed. "They're about to announce the results!" She grabbed Equius and bounced away. From a distance, Dave saw them run into Feferi. The two girls hugged, and the trio went off. 

Karkat stood up and reached out a hand to help Dave. Once they were both up and slightly less disheveled, the rest of the team herded them over to where the other Skaia teams were. Feferi was standing there too, with Nepeta and Equius. 

Everyone waited in silence, collectively holding their breath. Dave could hear the crickets chirping. Then, "The winner of the women's boat race is Alternia State University!" There were grumbles from the Skaia women's team, but Feferi yelled and grabbed Nepeta in another hug. Nepeta was grinning, happy for her friend. Dave saw them break apart, Feferi scratching the back of her neck. She said something, and Nepeta frowned. Dave was almost worried, but then Nepeta took her hand. Equius flashed a rare smile. 

Dave was pleased. If it worked out for Feferi, why wouldn't it work for him? Then again, he'd have to have the courage to speak up first. "Hey, Karkat," he started. He was cut off by the announcer. He silently cursed the man. 

"The winner of the men's boat race Skaia University!" Dave cheered with the rest of the group. He saw his brother Dirk jumped on his friend Jake's back, sending them both sprawling. They got up laughing. 

It was a good night for everyone, it seemed. Now it was Dave's turn. "Karkat," he tried again. He folded his hands together. 

"Huh?" Karkat turned to face him. Dave opened his mouth to speak- 

The announcer beat him to it, again. "Now, folks, it seems we had a tough decision to make," he said. "But the judges are looking at the footage right now, so I'll keep you updated." 

Dave kicked the ground. "God damn it!" He yelled. Terezi, who had been next to him, backed away. "Every time!" 

"Dave, shut up and calm down," John told him. "Karkat, manage your boyfriend, please." He made his way over to their coach to talk about the results. 

"Looks like someone else has to pay the swear jar for once," Karkat observed shrewdly. He tilted his head. "Why are you so angry? That's my job." 

Dave forced himself to take a deep breath and try to chill out. "I'm angry because everytime I try to talk to you, that stupid announcer starts speaking," he muttered. He ran a hand through his hair. 

Karkat shrugged. "He's not talking right now, Strider," he pointed out. "What's so important that you're abusing nature?" 

Dave didn't even get a chance to answer this time before the announcer cut in. "Okay, the judges have decided. Pulling ahead by half an inch, the winner of the mixed boat race is... Skaia University!" 

Cheers went up all around them as everyone celebrated the victory. Karkat yelled something, but Dave still couldn't hear him. He grabbed Karkat and pulled him closer, almost chest to chest. Karkat looked like he was blushing, but it was hard to tell in the sunset's glare. Dave lowered his head. "What?" He said loudly. 

Karkat's lips brushed Dave's ear as he spoke, and Dave surpressed a shiver. "What were you trying to tell me?" He asked. 

Dave stood straight and looked around. Amidst the celebrating, he saw John and Feferi both watching them. John nodded his head, and Feferi winked. The fact that they had Dave's back gave him the courage to pull Karkat closer and kiss him. 

Karkat went stiff at first. Dave later learned it was from surprise, but all he knew at the time was that Karkat wasn't kissing him back. He pulled away. Karkat was staring up at him, and the teammates around them were silent. "Sorry," Dave mumbled. "I didn't mean to-" 

"Yes, you did," Karkat interrupted. "Now shut the fuck up." He stunned Dave by yanking him back down for another kiss. Their team members went nuts. So did Dave's brain. 

When they broke apart again, Karkat looked over at Feferi. She waved at them, then turned to talk to Terezi. She seemed to be getting along with everyone. "I heard you and her talking. It didn't take long to put two and two together," Karkat confessed. 

"You heard that? Why didn't you say you were still awake?" Dave huffed indignantly. 

Karkat shrugged. "I was curious," he responded unashamedly. "And you're a good pillow." 

Dave laughed. "I can't believe you," he said. The sun was skimming the horizon now, turning the sky brilliant shades of red and orange. "I guess I don't need to make a big show of it then." 

Karkat looked confused. "Big show of what, Strider?" He asked. Dave hugged him closer. 

"Of telling you I love you," he told him. "I don't need to be all grand with it, do I?" 

Karkat snorted and kissed him again. "Hardly," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is actually based off of an Attack On Titan JeanMarco fanfiction I read on here a while back. I can't remember the name, but I know it had something to do with a kayaking team (canoeing team?) 
> 
> I know that most of the lingo in this chapter is inaccurate, but please don't get mad. It's been months since I read that story, I can't remember everything. 
> 
> If you find any University JeanMarco fics on AO3 that involve kayaking/canoeing teams, please let me know. I would love to give that fic the credit it deserves.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is mainly going to be based on the song Jenny by Studio Kilers, although there are some other slight references in here as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in forever, I've been getting my Dirk cosplay ready for Tokyo In Tulsa next month! Is anyone going to be there?

"What? What do you mean, you're not coming?" Dave exclaims. He stares down at his best friend incredulously. "We've been planning this for weeks, Karkat! You've got to go." 

From his position on the couch, Karkat glares up at Dave. "I mean exactly what I said," he snaps. "I'm not fucking going. Nightclubs are stupid." He leans over to the side to try and see the television. "Just go without me." 

"Oh, fuck that," Dave says. "I am not leaving you here to wallow around on the sofa and watch your shitty romcoms. You're going to the club with us!" He marches over to the tv and shuts it off, giving Karkat a smug grin. 

Karkat sits up a bit, throwing Dave a nasty look as he does. He flips his friend off. "I am not going," he repeats. "You can't make me go if I don't want to go, dumbass." He crosses his arms stubbornly. 

Dave makes his way over and shoves Karkat over, sitting on him as he has so many times before. "And why don't you want to go, Kitkat?" He asks. Karkat squirms under him, trying to get up. He can feel the blush on his face. "Is it because Gamzee will be there? Trust me, I'm not too fond of it either." 

Gamzee and Karkat had been best friends for years, up until a few months prior when Gamzee had been unable to buy his heroine for too long. Karkat's still scared to just be near him. However, that isn't why he doesn't want to go. Not that Dave will ever know the real reason. Hopefully. "Uh, yeah," he lies. He's grateful for an excuse to latch onto. "Gamzee. Listen, I just don't want to go. Partying isn't my thing, Strider, you know that." 

Dave puts on a pouty face. "'Strider?' Come on, man, I thought we were past that," he complains. "And anyway, Gamzee won't do anything. I promise." He makes an X over his heart, then leans down. "What do you say, Karkles? Will you go?" 

Karkat looks away, unable to bear how close Dave's face is to his. "Don't call me that! I told you to stop with the stupid nicknames!" Dave just smirks again, and Karkat sighs. "How do you know he won't do anything?" He asks. 

Dave's face grows serious, almost angry. He sits up. "Because if he tries anything, he won't leave the club in one piece," he says simply. Karkat swallows. Dave's protectiveness of him made his heart flutter. "I swear, Karkat, he won't try a damn thing while I'm around. So, come with us? Please?" He puts on his puppy dog face, and Karkat hates him for it. 

"Oh, alright!" He groans. "Just stop making that face!" Dave laughs. "I hate you sometimes." 

"Sure you do, Kitkat," Dave teases. Karkat tries to hit him, but Dave scrambles off of him before the slap lands. "Get up. Terezi will be here in an hour to pick us up." He disappears into his room to get ready. 

Karkat feels his face settle into a scowl at the mention of Dave's girlfriend. She's nice enough, and his friend, too, but he just can't get used to it. Not when he feels the way he does about Dave. He pushes himself off of the couch and stomps into his own room. 

~ 

The club isn't as full as Karkat expected it to be. Then again, it is a Sunday. Most people work on Mondays, and can't spend the night partying. Karkat's friends, however, are still in college, and class was cancelled because of some holiday or other. 

"I think I see Kanaya and Rose over there!" Dave has to shout to be heard over the music, even though Karkat is right next to him. "Dude, hold my phone. I'm going to go talk to them." He slides his phone into Karkat's pocket and makes his way through the crowd. Even halfway across the club, Karkat can pick him out in a second. He likes to think it's because of Dave's shades, which he insists on wearing literally everywhere. 

When Dave doesn't come back immediately, Karkat finds a free table to sit at. From his new spot, he can see most of the club. John is dancing with his sister Jade, Gamzee has thankfully disappeared, Vriska is picking on poor Tavros again, Sollux and Aradia are dancing, Eridan is at the bar with Feferi. Nepeta and Equius are sitting at a table near him, Terezi is also nowhere in sight, and Dave is talking with Rose and Kanaya. 

Wait. Both Gamzee and Terezi are missing? It's not unusual for one of them to disappear, but both? Karkat's gut tells him to investigate. Making sure he still has Dave's phone in case Dave needs it, Karkat gets up and starts heading for the darker areas of the club. 

It doesn't take long. Hidden in a darkened hallway, Karkat stumbles across Gamzee and Terezi, half covered in shadows, making out. His first instinct is to shout and draw attention, but he stops himself. He needs proof. Even though he knows this will break Dave's heart, he unlock Dave's phone and takes a picture of them. Then he posts it to every social media platform Dave has, signing the picture simply with CG. He locks the phone and puts it back in his pocket. 

Once he's back at his table, he waits. Nepeta attempts to catch him in conversation, but he sidesteps it with some shitty line he learned from Dave. He watches as Dave says goodbye to Rose and comes over to sit with him. He hands the phone back wordlessly. He sees Rose pulls out her phone. He sees the confusion on her face, and knows she's seen the picture. 

Most of his friends are looking at their phones now. People are gasping. Some are talking. He can't make out the words. His eyes are fixed on Dave. Dave, who's phone keeps buzzing. He reaches out to check it, but Karkat grabs his hand first. Dave just stares at him. Karkat forces the words out. "I'm sorry," he says. 

"Sorry?" Dave asks. "For what?" His phone buzzes again, and he looks down at it. "Why is Kanaya commenting on one of my pictures?" He glances up at his friend. "Did you post something on my phone?" He pulls his hand out from under Karkat's and unlocks his phone. 

Karkat tries again. "I'm so fucking sorry, Dave," he tells his friend. Dave's confusion slowly slips into disbelief as he sees the picture, then to anger. He stands up and forces his way through the crowd to where Gamzee is standing. Karkat follows him closely, and therefore can see very clearly when Dave prepares take a swing at the druggie. "Dave!" 

Karkat pushes his way between them in hopes of stopping a fight from breaking out. His efforts get him punched in the face by Dave. Almost immediately, he feels his nose starts to drip underneath the pain. "Fuck!" Dave yelps. "Karkles, are you okay? I'm so sorry." 

"I'll get him cleaned up," Kanaya volunteers. "Come with me, Karkat." She propels him to the nearest table and goes to get some water and a tissue. By the time she returns, Dave is arguing heatedly with Terezi off in the corner, and Karkat's collar is bloodstained. "Oh, my." She starts to wipe the blood from Karkat's face gently. "Why did you do that?" 

Karkat hisses quietly. "I don't know," he grumbles. "I was hoping to stop a fight from breaking out. Look where that got me." 

"I meant the photo, Karkat," Kanaya corrects. "What were you thinking posting that to social media?" 

Acutely embarrassed now, Karkat feels tears well in his eyes. "He deserved to know Terezi was cheating on him. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt, I swear. I just though he needed to know." He reaches up and wipes his eyes angrily. 

"Of course that would hurt him, Karkat. Are you sure there wasn't some ulterior motive?" She asks. Karkat feels his face turn red as she starts attempting to get the blood out of his shirt collar. "I thought so. I've suspected for a while now that you had feelings for him. You may want to calm your blush, though. He's coming over here." 

Sure enough, Dave is making his way through the crowd to Karkat's table. He doesn't look angry anymore, just resigned. Maybe a little sad. "Hey, Kitkat," he says sheepishly. "Uh, when you're done here, we have to leave. The owner kicked me out for violence." Karkat can't hold back his snort, which quickly turns into a groan. Dave winces. "How is he, Kan?" 

"Other than the black eye he'll have tomorrow, he should be alright," Kanaya says. She wads up the bloody tissue. "And I've asked you before, please don't call me Kan. My name is Kanaya." She pats Karkat's hand before leaving the table, presumably to throw away the tissue. 

Dave watches her go, then turns to offer a hand to Karkat. "I really am sorry," he tells him. "Come on, let's go." Karkat allows Dave to pull him up and out onto the street. 

Once out of the club, Karkat turns to flag down a cab. "It's fine," he mumbles. "I shouldn't have posted that picture." 

"Yeah, probably not," Dave agrees. "Why did you, anyway?" 

Karkat sighs. "I don't know," he answers honestly. "I think... I think it was because I was jealous of you and Terezi." Way to put it all out there, Karkat. "I mean, I didn't plan for that to happen, I swear!" 

Dave chuckles. "Well, don't worry about it," he says. "Hard to be jealous of a relationship that doesn't exist anymore." 

"You don't seem very sad about that," Karkat observes dryly. He huffs as another cab drives right by them. 

Dave scratches the back of his neck. "To be honest, I was kinda planning on breaking it off anyway," he confesses. "We weren't really working out, and I had suspicions about her cheating. Beside, I didn't really like her anymore, anyway. I sort of have my sights set on someone else." 

Karkat sighs. A cab finally pulls up, and they clamber in. "The college, please." To Dave, he says, "Well, it's nice to know I didn't ruin a perfectly happy relationship. Good luck with whoever you're after next." He sinks a bit lower in his seat. He's really tired now, and he didn't even drink. He leans his head against the window and closes his eyes. 

The next thing he's aware of, the cab has stopped and Dave is trying to shake him awake. He grumbles a bit and shifts, but doesn't open his eyes. He just wants to sleep. He hears Dave chuckle faintly, then there are arms under him and he's being pulled sideways and lifted. Dave's picked him up. Now his eyes are closed simply because he's afraid that if he opens them, Dave will put him down. Dave walks down the sidewalk and then Karkat can feel the incline that means they're on the stairs. "You're lucky you're light," Dave mutters. 

He pauses for a moment, and Karkat realizes they must be back at their dorm. There's a dramatic shift as he hears the door click open, and he figures that Dave probably used his foot to open the door. Dave carries him through the living room into his room, and lays him down on his bed. "Sleep tight, Karkles," Dave whispers. He leaves the room, and leaves Karkat to ponder what he's done. 

~ 

The next morning, Karkat is greeted with a throbbing pain in his face and a bloody collar. He decides to change before he braves the mirror, and strips his shirt off. From the front, there doesn't seem to be that much blood. "Some bleach should work on this," he mumbles to himself. He sets it apart from his other clothes and pulls on a soft cotton shirt and some jeans. With nothing else to do, he heads into the bathroom. 

He manages to avoid looking until he's relieved himself. When he can't put it off any longer, he sneaks a look at himself. The sight that greets him isn't a pretty one. The lower part of his right eye is surrounded by dark purple bruises, and his nose doesn't look much better. He grimaces at his reflection before going into the kitchen to get some Tylenol. 

Dave's already awake and dressed, eating a bowl of cereal and scrolling on his phone. He looks up at Karkat's appearance, and visibly winces. "Oh, shit," he says. "That looks bad. How does it feel?" He heads for the cabinet where they keep the pain meds. 

"About 10 times worse than it looks," Karkat tells him gruffly. He leans against the counter. "I'd so rather have a hangover." 

Dave fills a glass with some of his apple juice and brings the meds and cup to Karkat. "Here, this oughta help." He watches as Karkat slugs back the pills. "Mind if I...?" He asks. 

Karkat understands what he's asking. "Sure," he says casually. He sets the glass down, then pushes the hair away from his face. Dave raises a hand and cautiously touches Karkat's face. 

"Ooh, this is a doozy. My punches don't usually leave this much damage." He leans closer to get a better look, and Karkat's breath catches in his throat just a bit. "I am so fucking sorry I hurt you, Karkles," he whispers. He catches Karkat's eyes with his own, and they stare at each other for a few seconds. 

The ring of Dave's cell brings them out of it. Dave excuses himself and takes the call in his room, closing the door behind him. Karkat stands there for a moment, trying to calm himself. He can vaguely hear Dave on the phone in the other room. It sounds as if it may be serious. Dave doesn't sound happy. 

Karkat tiptoes over to Dave's door and cautiously puts an ear against it. "He's perfectly alright. No, his nose isn't broken! I think you would have known, Kanaya, you did treat him." Dave sighs. "No, I don't know why he did it. Does it matter? He was right to let me know, even if he chose a bad way to do it. Oh, and I suppose _you_ know why he posted it?" He asks sarcastically. Karkat groans inwardly. "Kanaya, slow down, I can't understand what you're saying. No, he can't hear me, he's in the kitchen." 

Karkat moves back a step. There's a grainy voice now. He can only guess Dave put Kanaya on speaker. "Dave, you must understand something. What I'm about to tell you... he can't know you know. Once he finds out, he won't hesitate to do something drastic. You know him. Are you sure you want to hear this?" She's speaking so quietly now that Karkat has to put his ear back to the door. "If you don't, tell me now. Because the knowledge I have will alter your entire relationship." 

'What knowledge does Kanaya have that will change our relationship?' Karkat wonders. He hears Dave say, "Just tell me, Kanaya. I can take it." 

Karkat (our precious baby) figures out what Kanaya is planning to tell Dave a split second before she says it. "Karkat likes you, Dave." Karkat curses quite loudly. "Dave? What was that?" Kanaya asks. The door opens, and Karkat tumbles into the room. Dave is staring down at him. 

"Shit," he says. "Kanaya, I'll call you back." He hangs up on her and reaches a hand out to Karkat, but Karkat's already on his feet. With only a glance at Dave, he turns and flees to his room. "Fucking- Karkat!" 

Karkat shuts and locks his door. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He mutters, clutching his hair. He sits down on his bed and reaches blindly for his phone. He texts the only person he can think of that isn't Kanaya. 

CG: EGBERT 

EB: hi, karkat! how's your face? 

CG: MY FACE DOESNT MATTER. I NEED ADVICE 

EB: the great karkat vantas, asking for my advice? that's awesome. 

CG: SHUT UP, EGBERT, I JUST NEED ADVICE 

EB: alright, calm down. what's wrong? 

CG: KANAYA TOLD DAVE I LIKE HIM 

EB: shit. do you? 

CG: YES 

EB: then what's the problem? 

CG: HES NOT GAY. AND HE LITERALLY JUST BROKE UP WITH TEREZI 

EB: you're an idiot, karkat. maybe he's not _gay_ , exactly, but he's been into guys before. 

CG: WHEN WAS HE EVER INTO ANOTHER MALE? 

EB: oh my god. just go fucking talk to him, karkat. it'll work out. 

CG: AND IF IT DOESNT, I WILL PERSONALLY SLIT YOUR THROAT 

EB: whatever. bye. 

Karkat sets his phone down and rubs his face. "Shit," he says. He flops backwards onto the bed. He can hear Dave pacing out in the living room, due to the annoyingly thin walls. He can remember many a time where he could hear the couple in the dorm next door going at it. Thinking of it now just makes him more irritated. His head is pounding. No, wait. That's not his head. That's the door. 

Dave is knocking. "Karkat?" He calls. "Let me in, dude." Karkat doesn't answer, and he knocks again. "Karkles, open the damn door. We gotta talk about this sometime." This time when Karkat says nothing, the knocking stops. 

Karkat, thinking Dave has left, sits up. He's about to get up when he hears a click. The door swings open to reveal Dave crouched in front of it, holding a bobby pin. He stands up, having the grace to look embarrassed. "Dave, where the hell did you learn to do that?" Karkat can't help but ask. 

"Video games," Dave answers. He leans against the doorway. "Now stop changing the subject. What Kanaya told me, is that true?" 

Karkat glares at him. "I don't want to talk about it, Strider," he growls. "Get out of my room." Dave doesn't move, and Karkat gets up to attempt to push him out. Dave, predictably, catches his wrists. "Let go of me." 

Dave smirks. "Or what?" He asks. "I'm not leaving until we talk about what you heard." He tightens his grip as Karkat tries to break free. "How much did you hear?" 

Karkat huffs. "If it'll get you to leave," he snaps. "I heard most of your stupid conversation." He tugs his arms again. "Now let go of me!" 

"I don't think so, Kitkat," Dave replies casually. "You didn't answer my other question. Was Kanaya telling the truth?" 

Karkat hisses at him. "Fuck off, Strider! Just get out!" He doesn't want to confirm or deny. The longer he can avoid the truth, the better, in his opinion. 

"Won't tell me?" Dave comments dryly. "Fine." Using his grip on Karkat's wrists, he twists them around, pressing Karkat against the doorframe. "Let's try this approach." 

"Dave, what are you doing?" Karkat can tell he's turning red. "Stop fooling around!" He bites his lip as Dave smirks at him. 

"I'm getting you to answer my question." Dave leans down to whisper in Karkat's ear. "Trust me, you'll answer," he purrs. 

Karkat growls. "Don't get cocky now, Strider." He tries to struggle, but Dave pins his wrists above their heads with one hand. "Stop it!" 

Dave uses his other hand to cup Karkat's chin. "Why? I'm having fun." He fake pouts. 

"Quit fucking with me, you asshole!" Karkat complains. "Go get your kicks somewhere else, you sick fuck!" 

This has Dave looking confused. "My 'kicks,' Karkles?" He's silent for a moment as he thinks. He snorts. "You're funny, dude. That isn't what this is." 

"Oh, so this isn't you torturing me?" Karkat retorts. He struggles more, but it doesn't get him anywhere. He sags a bit. "If you came in here to torment me, you can leave now." 

Dave frowns, looking almost sad. Before Karkat can understand what's happened, Dave has leaned forward and kissed Karkat gently on the lips. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I didn't mean to hurt you again." 

Karkat just stares at him. "Dave..." Even he can hear the longing in his voice. 

His friend smiles. "I knew you'd answer me," he says. He presses Karkat harder against the doorframe and kisses him again. Karkat melts into Dave's touch. The two kiss until Karkat's head spins. The hand on his chin moves up to touch his face, and the pain makes him wince. Dave pulls away immediately. "You okay?" 

Karkat nods. "Fine," he tells Dave. "Better than fine." 

"Great. Wait here for a bit? I told Kan I'd call her back." Karkat pouted, and Dave laughed. "Don't worry." He presses another kiss to Karkat's mouth. "We'll definitely continue this later," he promises. 

Karkat sits down on the bed while Dave goes to make his call. He decides to text John again. 

CG: I TALKED TO HIM 

EB: and? 

CG: IT ALL WORKED OUT 

EB: i told you so. 

CG: FUCK OFF EGBERT 

CG: THANKS 

EB: anytime. have fun with dave! 

Karkat can't help but grin at his phone. "I will," he tells it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to write a whole story for this one-shot because I love the idea and the song so much. Btw, did anyone caych the other subtle reference I slipped in? Here's a hint: it's something Karkat says to Dave.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the disappearance, guys. I got grounded back in August, and I'm still grounded, but I can access AO3 on my chromebook. 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter was based (VERY loosely) on several different songs by several different artists. Well, the idea pieced togther while I was listening to them, so. Close enough.
> 
> Also, hilariously ooc characters. I suck at this, lol

"Dave?" Karkat called. He looked around him, at the rubble of their neighborhood, and felt panic rise in him. He turned in a circle, looking for any sign of him. He had to find Dave. If he could find Dave, then everything would be okay. "Dave!" He fought his way through the rubble in his path. "Answer me! DAVE!" 

From somewhere to his right, he heard a familiar voice yelling in response. Dave. Karkat felt the tension ease slightly from his shoulders, only to be replaced almost immediately. What if Dave was buried? He followed the voice, calling every now and then to reaffirm that he was going the right way. Now he could hear distant sirens. Finally, someone was coming. But he couldn't wait. Dave might be injured. He pressed on. 

After half an hour or so of forcing his way through rubble and ruin, he saw a horrifying sight. Dave was lying on his back in his yard, trapped under a piece of his roof. Karkat yelled something unintelligible even to himself, and broke into a sprint. He fell several times, and had to vault himself over a wall at some point. By the time he reached Dave, he was as bloody as his friend. He dropped to his knees and looked Dave over. Despite being trapped, his friend seemed okay. His stupid shades were even still intact, somehow. "Dave..." The words caught in his throat. 

"Kitkat," Dave said. He sounded calm, as always, but that didn't help Karkat's nerves at all. "'bout time you got here. I'm kinda stuck." 

Dave's joking had Karkat smiling through tears he hadn't realized he'd been shedding. "I'm going to get you out," he promised. Dave's face, which had been on the verge of a smile, went completely blank. 

"Kakrat, don't. You're not strong enough to get me out of here. Wait until help comes." Dave somehow managed to look stern, even through his shades. Karkat wasn't sure if it was the minor insult or Dave's lack of faith in him that drove him to his feet, but he started pushing at the section of roof. He could hear Dave protesting, but when the rubble shifted, his face went white with pain and his complaints ceased. He pushed again, feeling the board give by about an inch. Then it seemed to get stuck. He couldn't force it any more, and was tearing up again when he realized that the sirens were closer. So close, in fact, that they were hurting his ears. He jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder. 

"We'll take it from here," a voice said. He turned to see a firefighter attempting to propel him from the rubble, over to an ambulance. "You, on the other hand, need a check up. You're covered in blood." Karkat was aware for the first time of his pain, but he still tried to stand in place. In the end, the fireman had to lift him and carry him, kicking and yelling, to the ambulance that had arrived on scene. "Make sure he stays here." 

While the paramedics held Karkat down and treated his scrapes and cuts, more firefighters arrived on scene and began to set up their equipment. They were planning on cutting Dave free, Karkat heard, but there was some risk involved. Dave might end up with broken legs or worse. 

Karkat couldn't stand for that. When the paramedics turned to help another victim, he slipped away. He heard a cry as his absence was discovered, and broke into a sprint. He reached Dave before the policemen now on scene could reach him, and began shoving against the roof with all of his strength. "Grab him!" He heard someone yell. He kept pushing, feeling it give just a little. He gave one more massive shove and felt the roof begin to tilt. He helped it along as best he could, ignoring the pain all over his body. The roof crashed into a pile of rubble on the other side of Dave, and Karkat collapsed beside him. He heard more yelling, and then there were people surrounding them. He reached out and clasped Dave's hand weakly, squeezing with what strength he had left. Dave didn't squeeze back, and Karkat began to panic again. 

"Dave?" he croaked. He forced himself to his knees, and shook his friend's arm. "Dave. Wake up." When Dave didn't respond, people began pulling him away again. "No! NO!" He fought, screaming and fighting and doing whatever he could. "DAVE!" 

~ 

"Karkat!" Someone was shaking him, calling for him. He struggled against them. He had to get to Dave. "Karkat! Wake up!" He felt a hand across his face, and he was sitting up, gasping. His fist came up, only to be caught. 

He blinked, hard, and tried to get his bearings. He was safe in his room, though it was pitch black. His only thought at the moment was for Dave. He made a wild grab for his phone, but the person holding his fist stopped him. "Karkles," they said softly. Karkat shook his head to clear it, and looked around. He saw his alarm clock; it was 4:13 in the morning. No wonder it was so dark. The figure standing by his bed was shrouded in shadows, but he had enough sense now to recognize the voice. 

"Dave." He was horrified when his voice cracked, and he became aware of the wetness on his face. He used his free hand to scrub at his eyes, attempting to hide the tears he was sure Dave could see. It didn't work, because the tears kept coming. He tried to speak again, but he was cut off by a sob. He was crying for real now, body racking, heart wrenching sobs that left him unable to breathe. 

Dave seemed startled, but he didn't say anything. He just sat down on the bed next to Karkat and wrapped an arm around him, shooshing him quietly. Karkat leaned against him as he tried to regain his composure. When he was finally dry-eyed, Dave said, "Spill." 

It was Dave's nonchalant tone that made Karkat start talking. "It was a nightmare. I'm fine now," he muttered evasively. 

Dave's look called bullshit. "Was it the earthquake again?" he asked. Karkat nodded, and Dave sighed a bit. "Karkles, that was almost six years ago. I thought you were over it." 

Karkat almost got angry, until he remembered that the event had given Dave nightmares, too. "I thought I was, too, but you know what they say. You always remember the bad things." He ran his right index finger along the thick scar across his left palm. Apparently, he'd severely gashed his hand trying to free Dave. He didn't recall doing it. Just the pain of having it stitched up. But that was nothing compared to Dave, who'd suffered a broken leg and three fractured ribs. It took him months to be able to walk properly again. "You of all people should know why I can't forget it." 

Dave nodded and shrugged at the same time. "I guess. You know they would have freed me eventually, Kitkat." This was familiar territory; they had this argument every few months. 

"Don't call me that," Karkat replied automatically. "I made a promise to you, Dave. I wasn't going to break it. Besides, I heard them talking. If I hadn't moved that roof, you could've wound up paralyzed like Tavros did." Poor Tavros had had part of his spinal column crushed by the quake, and had been stuck in a wheelchair for five and a half years. It was only recently that technological advances allowed him to acquire leg supports to help him walk again. 

Dave snorted. "I know all this already, dude," he reminded Karkat. He reached down and squeezed Karkat's hand. His thumb trailed over the scar, and Karkat shivered a bit. The scar was still sensitive, as most serious ones are. "Alright there?" He could hear the smile in Dave's voice. 

Karkat grumbled a little. "You did that on purpose, asshole," he accused. Dave shrugged. "And stop changing the subject. You know I wouldn't have let that happen to you. Something could've gone wrong." He felt as though he had to win this argument. He always felt that way. Dave didn't think he should've done something that drastic, but he knew he was right. 

"The firefighters were experienced. They knew what they were doing. You should've stayed away from all that shifting rubble. You could've gotten hurt." Dave let go of his hand and stood, running a hand through his hair. He seemed almost upset. 

Karkat got to his feet as well, his voice rising. "I wasn't going to stand by and watch you die, Dave!" He yelled. "You are too fucking important!" 

They stood, facing each other, in a shocked silence as Karkat's words registered. Dave face was expressionless, as usual; Karkat's face was filled with something akin to horror. He opened his mouth to speak but Dave beat him to it. "Important to who, Karkles?" He didn't sound judgmental, just curious. 

Karkat glared at him. "I don't really see how that matters," he murmured, crossing his arms. A thought occurred to him suddenly. "Wait a minute. How are you even in here?" 

"I came in through the window." Dave's tone said this should be obvious. It should've been, Karkat thought. They did this all the time, hopping over to each other's houses to play video games or gossip at midnight. They hadn't done it for a while, though, because they'd been caught by a neighbor a few weeks ago. "It's not like this is a new thing we do, Kitkat. Now stop changing the subject." 

Karkat turned to stare at the window for a minute, before huffing angrily. "Oh, fine! Since you're clearly not going to stop pestering me about it." 

"Well... You're important to a lot of people. John, Jade, and Rose. Terezi. But I mainly meant myself. Asshole." He shot Dave a dirty look, challenging the other boy to contradict him. 

"You're the one that brought it up," Dave said shamelessly. "Now spill." 

"I just did, you pig-headed bastard," Karkat snapped. "You're important to me, now fuck off." He turned back to the window, crossing his arms over his chest. He expected Dave to hear the snark in his tone and back off, as he usually did when they had a fight. But, as everyone knows, Dave Strider does not do the expected. 

No. Instead of brushing past Karkat to leave the way he had come, Dave stepped into his friend's line of vision and mimicked his pose, an irritated look on his face. "You're not brushing me off this time, Karkles. Every time a conversation goes a way you don't want, you shut off. Not this time. Talk to me." 

Karkat uncrossed his arms to give Dave a light shove. "You really want me to talk?" He asked. He pushed the other back a bit more. "Tell you how I 'feel'? Well, that's not happening anytime soon, Strider." 

Dave, used to Karkat's mood swings, didn't seem alarmed. He just chuckled. "Turning chicken, Kitkat?" He goaded, curious to see if he could taunt Karkat into telling him what was really up. 

Karkat, on the other hand, was more than simply agitated. He shoved Dave back again, this time until the other boy's back collided with the wall. "I'm not a chicken, asshole," he growled. When Dave smirked smugly at him, his eyes narrowed. "I'll prove it." And he did, though not in a way either of them expected. 

Karkat grabbed Dave's shirt and yanked him down to eye (shades) level. Then, as if suddenly aware of the building tension in the room, Karkat kissed him, almost desparately. He wasn't aware of anything, for a moment, but the feel of Dave's mouth covering his, the faint taste of that apple juice he loved so much. Then he realized that Dave was stiff. The other boy's hands had come up to rest on his arms, as though he were going to push Karkat away. Karkat, suddenly aware of this, disconnected and moved back several steps, horrified at his own actions. 

Dave hadn't moved. He was still bent over, hands up. "...Karkat?" That was all he said. Karkat shook his head, bringing up his hands to grind his palms into his eyelids. When he lowered his hands a second later, Dave was right in front of him. Karkat startled; he'd forgotten that Dave possessed the ability to 'flashstep,' as he called it. Before Karkat could blink, Dave crouched, wrapped his arms around him, and straightened. Karkat was left with his feet dangling over the ground. 

"Dave!" he squeaked, then internally berated himself for doing so. Guys weren't supposed to squeak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What the hell are you doing?" No squeak, but he sounded fairly breathless. 

Dave shifted slightly. Karkat, feeling as though he was going to fall, wrapped his legs around Dave's waist. Dave chuckled, a deep-throated sound that made Karkat shudder. "I'm evening the field a bit," he replied. One of his arms came down and boosted Karkat up by pushing on his backside. In the process, Dave also managed to pull them closer. "This better, Karkles?" 

Karkat, his throat dry, didn't respond. He just leaned down (he was higher than Dave now) and rested his forehead against the other's. Dave, taking this as a good sign, grinned. Karkat smiled back, putting his hands on Dave's shoulders. Neither of them, afterwards, would be able to say who made the next move. All either of them knew was that suddenly they were kissing again. 

This kiss was much gentler than the first. Karkat practically melted when Dave kissed him back, reveling in it. Even more could he taste the apple juice, since Dave's lips moved with his. 

Dave pulled away after a moment, leaving Karkat to stare at him. "Is Kankri here?" Dave asked, with an almost dangerous tone to his voice that warmed Karkat's whole body. 

Karkat shook his head. "He left this afternoon. Business trip. He asked Porrim to check up on me in the morning, after her shift." His face heated a bit as he mentioned her job. Porrim was an exotic dancer who specialized in lap dancing, and he was acutely aware of how his body was pressed to Dave's at the moment. 

Dave, perhaps sensing his embarrassment and wanting to take advantage, took several steps forward, until Karkat was trapped between Dave's body and the wall. Flashing a slightly predatory grin, Dave leaned down and caught the skin on Karkat's neck with his teeth. Karkat responded with a totally unmanly whine, and was rewarded when Dave ran his tongue over the tender skin. Karkat's eyes closed as Dave ravaged his neck, only opening when Dave pulled away and sniggered. "That's a beautiful mess," he observed. 

Karkat grabbed Dave's face between his hands. "Shut up and kiss me," he ordered. Dave laughed and did just that. 

When Porrim arrived the next morning, she found Dave and Karkat sleeping on Karkat's bed. He was wearing Dave's shirt. She laughed so loudly that they awoke and, when Karkat panicked, swore she wouldn't tell Kankri. As she left, the boys heard her mutter something to the effect that she owed Dave's older brother Dirk 20 bucks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To answer your question: yes, they fucked.
> 
> So tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I'm appalled at how long it took my to write this chapter. It didn't go in quite the direction I had planned, but if there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that stories have minds of their own. 
> 
> That being said, I'm going to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them later, and I'm fucking psyched.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I should probably explain why these take so long. See I'm a junior in an AP class, with decent teachers and one really shitty one. I have tons of homework on a daily basis. I also have difficulty concentrating on anything for more than an hour. This probably means I have some Super Shitty Mental Shit™ going on, but who the fuck cares. Anyways, slightly repressed feelings of sorrow and rage aside, I'm trying. I really am. I spend lots of time thinking of these AUs, when I haven't forgotten about this website completely.

Dave was used to looking in the mirror every morning and seeing two red eyes stare back at him. He was used to the disappointment. He was used to knowing he didn't have a soulmate. 

As a child, it hadn't been like this. One of his earliest memories was looking in the mirror and seeing his red right eye and grey left eye. He'd been 2 or 3 at the time. He also remembered the day he'd gone to daycare and been met with shocked silence from the other kids. He'd withstood whispers all day, until his friend Kanaya had given him her little flip mirror. He'd seen what the rest had: his left eye was no longer grey, but a brilliant shade of red. He'd been so stunned he'd burst into tears. 

He sighed quietly and picked up the shades on the sink. He'd started wearing them in middle school, to hide his abnormality. With the shades covering his eyes, he felt secure. Protected from the world. 

A knock at the door caught his attention. He heard his older brother, Dirk, say, "Hurry up, you're going to be late." His footsteps had retreated by the time Dave opened the door. He went back into his bedroom to grab a jacket and his bag, then tromped his way into the kitchen. The sight that greeted him was something of a shock. 

Dirk was standing by the counter, grinning uncharacteristically, on the phone with someone. He looked at Dave, and Dave froze. His brother's left eye, which had been a deep green, was now the same bright orange as his right. It took a moment for Dave to register the significance, but when he did he felt like he'd been hit with a bus. Dirk had recognized his soulmate. 

Dirk said something to the person on the other end and hung up. He looked at Dave expectantly, waiting for some sort of outburst about how it wasn't fair that Dirk had a soulmate and he didn't. 

Dave wanted to throw that tantrum. He wanted to get angry with the world and yell. But he found that he couldn't deny his brother a chance at happiness, even if he wanted to. Instead, all he managed to croak out was, "Who?" 

Dirk raised an eyebrow, but the grin remained. "I had my suspicions last night, but it wasn't until I woke up this morning to find my eyes orange that I knew," he asnwered cryptically. 

Dave pondered this as he grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge and took a drink. Dirk hadn't done anything interesting last night, as far as he knew. Yet another date with yet another person. Only... hadn't his date last night been... 

Dave nearly spewed juice everwhere. "English?!" He spluttered incredulously. Dirk slapped him on the back. 

"Easy there," Dirk cautioned. "Yes, it's Jake. That was him on the phone. He said he'd realized before he went to bed because, honestly, 'not many chaps have orange globes.' You okay?" Dave nodded. "Good. I'll drive you to school, since you missed the bus while you were dying." 

Dave spent the entire car ride examining Dirk's news from every angle. When Dirk dropped him off, he nearly tripped on the curb as he got out. He was having trouble processing the day's events. A situation made inexplicably worse when he entered the building and immediately crashed into someone, sending them both sprawling. 

The person he'd knocked over was a boy, a few years younger than him. He had messy black hair and skin the color of brown sugar. As the kid started gathering his things up again, cursing quietly under his breath, Dave was struck by the realization that this boy was attractive. Very much so. 

Dave came to his senses and helped the kid grab his things. One of the papers he happened to pick up had a name scrawled at the top in surprisingly elegant handwriting. "Karkat?" 

The boy looked up as he heard his name, eyes narrowed. Dave froze for the second time that day. Both of Karkat's eyes were red. Different shades, but red nonetheless. "What?" He snapped. He seemed to realize that Dave was staring at him, because he turned the exact shade of his right eye. "I know what you're thinking. What are the odds of having the same eye color as my soulmate? But lots of people in my old town did." Karkat went on, apparently rambling. "But I know I'm not the only human with red eyes. I can't be. Around half of albinos are born with red eyes, so my soulmate is probably an albino." He stopped for a moment, examining Dave closely. 

Dave was spared the rest of his speech by Kanaya, who came hustling over. "Karkat! I thought I asked you not to wander off," she scolded gently. "What on earth were you doing?" 

Karkat grew even redder. "I was just trying to find my locker, Maryam," he grumbled. "Then this asshole knocked into me and sent me flying." He got to his feet, and Dave did the same. 

"That's an overexaggeration," he argued. He turned to Kanaya. "I didn't send him flying, Kan, he just fell." 

Kanaya rolled her eyes. "You've just met and you bicker like old women," she quipped. "Never mind. Karkat, this is my friend Dave Strider. Dave, Karkat Vantas." They reluctantly shook hands. "Now, if you want to find your locker, let's-" She was cut off by a ringing bell, and groaned. "Oh, boy. I'm afraid I have to go." 

"Go?" Karkat asked. "Go where?" He seemed perpetually irritated, Dave noticed. 

"I can't be late for class again, Mr. Noir said he'd put me in detention," Kanaya fretted. "Oh, what am I to do? I still have to show you around!" 

"I could do it," Dave offered. The two turned to stare at him. "I know the school as well as you do, and Mr. Makara won't notice if I'm not there. Come on, Kanaya. Don't you trust me?" He crossed his arms and waited. 

"I suppose I'll have to," she said dryly. After whispering something to Karkat, she turned and scurried down the hall. 

Dave clapped his hands together. "Great. Where's your schedule?" Karkat passed it over and Dave examined it. "Alright. We'll head by your locker first, and I'll tell you what you can dump." As they started walking, he asked casually, "So what did Maryam say?" 

Karkat shrugged. "Something about sensitivity? I wasn't really paying attention," he admitted. "Eyes were involved." He shrugged again. 

Dave rolled his eyes. "Typical Maryam. She tries to be 'sensitive,' but usually fails miserably." He paused for a second, then added, "You can ask if you want. About the shades. I don't really care." 

Karkat seemed to consider this. "You do look like a douchebag with those glasses," he commented. 

"I know," Dave replied. He shrugged. "Thing is, I don't have a soulmate." He waited for the apology, the 'I'm so sorry.' 

Karkat was silent for a moment as they stopped in front of his locker. "Everyone has a soulmate," he stated matter-of-factly. He glanced up at Dave, who was trying to find Karkat's locker combination on his schedule and didn't notice. 

Dave twisted the numbers into the lock, spun it, and popped it open like a balloon bursts on a nail. He instructed Karkat what he should put up, then continued. "Most everyone. I had one when I was a kid. One day when I was two or three, I noticed my left eye had changed to my own eye color. I was devastated at first, of course. Donned the shades back in middle school. I've gotten over it now though. I'm used to it." 

Karkat called bullshit almost immediately as they began walking again. "You don't sound 'over it,'" he muttered. "That doesn't make any sense, though." 

"What doesn't?" Dave asked, intrigued. He sensed this new kid was prone to leaving people hanging, waiting for more information. 

"People who have lost their soulmate feel it. Right here." Karkat thumped his chest with a fist. "They feel their soulmate die; it's the worst pain in the world." Upon seeing Dave's curious look, he flushed. "M-My friend Sollux's older brother lost his soulmate last year to cancer. Her name was Latula. After it happened, her family moved away. Nobody's heard from them since." 

Dave grinned. "Latula? That just so happens to be the name of my ex's sister." He watched Karkat slow down. 

"...Terezi?" He sounded so hopeful that Dave felt it in his chest. "Terezi Pyrope?" 

Dave nodded. "That would be the one, fish." When Karkat shoot a questioning look in his direction, he shrugged. "That's what we call our freshman here." 

Karkat glared at him. "I'm supposed to be a sophmore, asshole." His anger faded, and a tiny smile replaced the scowl. "Terezi's here," he whispered. His voice got louder. "I have to find her. Everyone back home is so worried." 

"I could give you her number," Dave offered. He stopped in front of a classroom. "This is your first hour. The teacher isn't so bad once you get used to her." He started walking again. 

"Her number? That would be great." He flashed Dave a small but genuine smile. "Thanks." 

Dave shrugged it off, leading Karkat around his new school in much the same fashion as he had with other students. He pointed out all of the popular spots (he got hit for waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Karkat) and showed him the cafeteria. By the end of first period, Karkat was learning the ropes. 

"Well," Dave said, sweeping his arms out. "That's the beauty of Skaia High School. Any questions?" 

Karkat thought. "Just one. You said you'd give me Terezi's number?" he asked. 

Dave nodded and held his hand out. When Karkat just stared at it, he laughed. "Your phone," he coaxed. "I'll add her as a contact." Karkat handed the phone over, and watched as Dave tapped away at the screen. After a minute or two, he returned it. "There. Let me warn her before you text her, she doesn't respond to unknown numbers." 

"Fine." Karkat slapped on a pouty face. "Am I supposed to go to class now?" He shoved his phone into his pocket. 

Dave shrugged. "You could," he said. "You could also ditch, cut class and go home." 

Karkat stared up at him. "Cut class?" he repeated. "Why the hell would I do that?" He was glaring at Dave, though he didn't actually seem angry. Just curious. 

"The teachers won't notice. It's the first month of school, it's still chaos around here." Dave shrugged and leaned against the locker next to him. "Besides," he continued. "They won't count you on roll until tomorrow." 

The other boy scowled. "I'm not ditching, Strider," he insisted. "My brother's home now anyway, so I couldn't if I wanted to. Which I don't!" 

Dave held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, calm down there, Karkat." He chuckled. "Or was it Kitkat?" 

Karkat stomped his foot like a child. "That's not my name and you know it! I hate it when people do that!" He turned and began to stalk away. 

Dave laughed and called, "See you at lunch!" 

→|×|←

Several days passed as Dave helped Karkat adjust to Skaia High. He brought Karkat into his friend group and introduced him. Terezi came running over and there was a tearjerking reunion. Dave's friends clapped so loudly that other people began looking over, and soon the whole cafeteria was applauding. The second day, he noticed that whenever Karkat glared at him (or anyone) he got this snarky little snarl and the left side of his top lip rose and showed his teeth. On day 3, when no one could hear, he explained to Karkat who already had soulmates. Kanaya and his half-sister Rose had known since third grade, but had only recently gotten together. John had blue and pink eyes, but denied even the tiniest notion that his soulmate was Rose's older sister Roxy, though everyone knew she was. Karkat seemed taken aback by that, asking John repeatedly why he would so stubbornly refuse love. John would blush a bit and stammer that he didn't like Roxy like that. Karkat would then call bullshit, and grill John harder. Dave and Rose finally had to call a truce to get him to stop. By that point, John's face was as red as Karkat's eyes, not that Dave noticed. 

What he, and everyone else at the table, did notice was that as they parted ways after lunch, John's left eye seemed suspiciously green-tinged. 

That was the first night he texted Karkat. After the obligatory 'WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?', they texted for quite a while, mainly about John and Roxy. When Dave went to bed that night, he was, strangely, happier than he had been in weeks. He attributed it to having a new friend and finally being used to waking up at 6am. 

|×|

Over the next week, Dave and Karkat grew closer. They started texting each other constantly, and their friends noticed. Rose teased them endlessly, and Terezi came over to their table to say they looked cute together. Dave laughed with everyone else, but he began to wonder. Karkat did have red eyes... He shook his head rapidly. 'Don't do that to yourself,' he instructed his brain firmly. 'Don't.' 

But his mind was persistent. For the rest of the day, he couldn't get the idea out of his head. What if his soulmate had eyes like his? Red eyes, like Karkat? 

He remained troubled until well into the evening, retreating into his room for some privacy. Jake had been coming around a lot lately, and Dave wanted to be alone. He was just beginning to mix some Sick Strider Beats™ on his turntable when his phone buzzed loudly on his nightstand. With a sigh, he shut off the turntable and walked across the room. Picking up his phone, he flopped down onto his bed. "Hello?" he said. 

"Dave?" The voice was familiar, though not immediately recognizable. 

"Yep." He put the phone on speaker and set it on his bed, then laid back against his pillows. "Who's this?" he asked. 

He thought he heard a smack, like the other person had hit their face. "It's Karkat, you dipshit." 

Dave nodded, then realized Karkat couldn't see him. "I knew that," he said nonchalantly. 

Karkat groaned. Dave felt his stomach flip and his cheeks burn. "Dumbass," Karkat muttered. "Anyway, I've got a question." 

"Shoot," Dave told him, struggling to keep his voice even. "What's on your mind, Karkles?" 

"Don't call me that," Karkat growled. Dave could tell he wasn't actually angry, though. Karkat's voice was just like that, gravelly but not very deep, so he always sounded irritated. "What color are your eyes?" 

Dave was so startled that he almost answered without thinking. He caught himself at the last moment, asking, "What? Why?" 'What a weird question!' he thought. 

"Because I'm curious," Karkat snapped. Now he was aggravated. Dave didn't respond and after a moment Karkat continued. "Look, I'm trying to figure something out, and I need to know." 

There was silence for a minute or two. "What does my eye color have to do with your shit?" Dave questioned him. 

Karkat didn't reply, and for a moment Dave wondered if he'd hung up. Then he heard rustling, and Karkat muttered, "Never mind, dumbass." 

"Oh, hell no," Dave said. "You brought it up, you gotta see it through. That's the bro code, the bro etiquette, clearly outlined on page 42 of the Bro Handbook." 

"Has anyone ever told you you're an insufferable prick?" Karkat asked dryly. He made a noise that Dave, for some reason, instantly acquainted with eye rolling. "I'm just looking into something. It's a school project." 

Dave snorted. "Sure, okay. Can't you get data from someone else?" He implored. It was bad enough that he didn't have a soulmate, he didn't want Karkat to know his eye color was unnatural, too. In the past 2 weeks, he had grown to care deeply about what Karkat thought of him. He didn't want his short friend to think he was even more of a freak. 

Karkat didn't respond for a moment. Then Dave heard, very quietly, "Please." It was so soft that Dave almost didn't catch it. He felt his willpower crumbling. 

"Dammit," he said. "I just can't say no to you, can I?" Karkat started to reply, but Dave cut him off. "Not tonight. I have shit to do. I'll show you tomorrow before school." 

"Why can't you just tell me, asshole?" Karkat gripped. He seemed eager to work on his 'project.' 

Dave snorted. "Some things are easier shown than told. Night." 

"'Night'? You're just gonna leave me hanging? How fucking rude! Do you even realize-" 

Dave interrupted him again. "Good night, Karkat," he said softly. He must have been a bit too gentle; Karkat's voice was flustered as he said his own farewell. Dave hung up the phone and flopped backward, his head bouncing off his pillow. 

As he stared up at the ceiling, he went over their conversation. While he was thinking, something clicked in his head. He felt his cheeks grow warm again as he conjured a mental image of his short friend glaring up at him, that little snarl teasing him. The picture changed and he imagined leaning toward Karkat and kissing him, wiping it right off of his face. He imagined pinning Karkat's hands above his head and- 

He bolted upright once again as he realized what was happening. "Fuck," he cursed aloud. "No way. I'm not letting this happen." 

He agonized over the mental scenario for a hour, told himself that his affection for Karkat was nothing more than a stupid crush. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get those thoughts out of his head. He promised himself it wouldn't escalate further, but as he laid down to go to sleep he realized it might be pointless. 

|×|

The next morning, Dave prolonged going to school as long as possible. He took a shower. He purposely missed the bus. When Dirk offered to drive him, he tried to play the sick card. Dirk called bullshit almost immediately. 

"Dude, I practically raised you," he said. "I know what you look like when you're sick. What the hell's going on that you don't want to go to school? Someone making fun of you again?" 

Dave flinched at the unwelcome reminder of his middle school years. "Not exactly," he told his brother. "It's more like someone's a bit too curious about a certain someone's eye color. And let's assume, hypothetically of course, that this certain someone may have a small crush on the curious someone. Hypothetically," he repeated. 

Dirk looked thoughtful. "And what colors are the eyes of the curious party?" he asked. 

"Red," Dave answered. "Both of them." 

Dirk raised an eyebrow. "Well. Assuming I knew this certain someone, and assuming I also knew of this curious someone, I'd tell the certain someone to stop being a pussy and go for it. Hypothetically." He chuckled at Dave's astonished expression. "Come on, man," he said. "Did you honestly think I didn't know who you were talking about? You've only got one friend with red eyes. Why're you scared?" 

Dave explained his and Karkat's conversation. "He'll think I'm a freak," he stated. "How many non-albinos have red eyes?" 

Dirk considered that, then responded with a question of his own. "What color is this kid's hair?" 

"Black." 

"In that case... I'd say 2." 

He clapped Dave on the shoulder, sternly leading his younger brother outside. "What are you doing?" Dave asked. 

"Taking you to school. You won't have time to meet him if we don't leave now." Dirk pushed him into the passenger seat and shut the door, then moved around the car and climbed into the driver's seat. "Besides," he continued as he started the car. "How else are you gonna know how he feels if you don't meet him?" 

Unfortunately for Dave, he had a point. Dave sighed and slouched against his seat, glaring out the window as Dirk drove him to school. It was a beautiful day already, though it promised to be hot. He pondered the unfairness of this as they drove into the parking lot. 

Dave started to get out. Dirk touched his arm and nodded toward the building. "That him?" he asked. 

Dave followed his brother's nod to where a throng of kids were all basking in the sunlight. A bit away from them sat Karkat, leaning against a low stone wall. He looked at Dirk's car, irritation clear in his eyes. Dave's stomach lurched. "That's him," he managed, sounding strangled. 

Dirk nodded. "He looks pissed," he noted. Dave finished clambering out of the car. Dirk rolled down the window to offer one last encouragement before he left. "Good luck kid." 

As Dirk drove away, Dave swallowed hard and walked over to where Karkat waited. "Hey," he said, trying to sound normal. 

Karkat said, "You're late." Dave heard the hidden message. Where were you? 

Dave answered, "Had to shower." Had to think things through. 

Karkat shrugged. "You ready to go inside?" Ready to show me your eyes? 

"Let's sit out here for a bit," Dave suggested. Not yet. 

Karkat's eyes narrowed, but he didn't push it. Instead, he attempted to hop up onto the wall. He was too short, and slid back down. With a muttered curse, he tried, and failed, again. 

"Here," Dave said. "Hold on." He placed his hands on Karkat's waist and boosted him onto the wall. Karkat grabbed onto his shoulders, clearly worried he was going to fall. "Calm down. I've got you." 

Karkat stared at him for a moment with wide eyes, now being high enough to look down on Dave. Dave found this funny, and cracked a grin. When Karkat didn't respond, Dave's smile faded. 

"Karkles?" he asked. "What's wrong?" 

Moving quickly, Karkat made a grab for Dave's shades. Dave realized what he was trying to do as he did it. His eyes squeezed shut of their own volition as his shades clattered to the ground. Dave tried to crouch down to retrieve them, but Karkat had other plans. He wrapped his legs around Dave's middle and locked his ankles together. Dave was stuck. 

He fought down a wave of panic and the heat threatening to rise to his face. "Karkat, let go of me," he said, trying to sound stern. His voice was higher than it should've been, but Karkat didn't seem to notice. 

"You said you were going to show me," Karkat stated. "Come on." He sounded somewhat breathless as well, to Dave's utter astonishment. "What better time than now?" 

"Uh," Dave said eloquently. He struggled to control himself, and tried for a joke. "Sorry, Karks, but I don't want to blind you." 

Karkat sighed in irritation. Dave just knew he was glaring, that curled lip taunting him. "I doubt your stupid sightglobes would blind anyone." He sounded decidedly huffy today, Dave noted. 

"Well then, I guess you'll just have to live without my 'sightglobes,'" Dave said, mocking him. 

Karkat hit him. Not very hard, but hard enough to make him flinch. "Just open your eyes, asshole!" He demanded loudly. Several other students stopped to stare, one of them being John. He came bounding over. 

"What's with the yelling, Karkat?" he asked obliviously. Dave tried to turn, hoping to convey a message with his face, but Karkat held him tight. He heard John set something down next to them with a metalic clatter, and realized John must have picked up his shades. "Why are these on the- What's going on here?" He must have just realized Dave's situation, because he sounded very confused. And flustered. 

"I'm trying to find out what color Mr. Douchebag's eyes are, but he's being stubborn!" Karkat complained. 

John made a noncommittal noise, which Dave knew to mean he was shrugging. He hoped his friend might swing to his rescue. "Well, maybe he just doesn't want to share. Back in elementary and middle school, he was real defensive about it. I remember the first time he wore the shades to school. I got them for him as a gag for his 13th birthday, but I didn't think he'd ever wear them!" God fucking dammit, Egbert. 

"You know what color they are?" Karkat asked. 

"Of course I do," John said indignantly. "They're-" 

Dave heard a bell ring, and John let out a muffled curse. 

"I gotta go, my class is on the other side of the building, sorry!" He said, backing away. Dave heard his footsteps as he retreated and prayed to all of Rose's Eldritch gods that he was gone. No such luck. "Oh, and Dave's eyes are red!" Dammit, Egbert. 

Karkat's legs relaxed considerably, and Dave pushed himself away. He stepped to the side and forward, trying to feel along the wall for his shades. He was so preoccupied that he didn't realize Karkat had spoken until he got him in the arm. Again. "Hey! Quit hitting me!" He dutifully turned his head in what he thought was approximately Karkat's direction. "What?" He asked. 

"Is it true?" Karkat's voice was almost inaudible, and unbearably soft. Dave felt his face heat up. 

He stealthily tried to change the subject. "We're gonna be late," he said. 

"Dave." Karkat's tone left no room for bullshit. 

Dave sighed. "Fine, it's true," he admitted. "Not that big of a deal. Give me my shades back." Karkat passed them to him silently, and he shoved them on. "There we g-" He stopped as he turned to look at Karkat. 

Karkat was staring at him, looking like he'd been punched in the gut. He slid off of the wall and, with one last glance at Dave, broke into a run. He disappeared amidst the throng of students heading inside. 

Dave felt like throwing something. "Fuck," he muttered. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He punched the wall in front of him, and the jarring pain steadied him. After receiving a detention from a passing teacher, he made a trip to the nurse's office. She knew him by name, and inquired about his wellbeing as she wrapped his hand. With a pink slip and a bandaged fist, he bolted to class, barely clearing the door as the late bell rang. 

|×|

As he sat through his classes, he worried Karkat would text him saying he was a freak. But no text came. As he got his lunch, he worried Karkat would confront him. But Karkat wasn't at lunch. As his friends laughed and chatted, he brooded and worried some more. He was only shaken from his stupor when someone shook him. His head snapped up. 

Terezi was staring down at him. Even being half blind, her glare was one of the fiercest he'd ever seen. She didn't look happy with him. He tensed, expecting a fight, but all she said was "Call him." She walked calmly back to her table. 

Stunned, Dave dutifully pulled out his phone and punched in Karkat's number. The usual gruff voice answered. "What?" 

"Karkat," Dave replied. The other end of the phone was silent, as were the others at his table. They'd stopped talking so they could listen, eavesdropping bastards. "Where are you?" 

"Why?" Karkat asked. He sounded sullen, just like he had earlier. 

Dave rolled his eyes. "Answer the question, dick waffle." John laughed, and Kanaya shushed him. 

"Taking a leaf from my book?" his friend inquired dryly. When Dave didn't respond, he sighed. "I'm in the library." He hung up. 

Dave put his phone in his pocket. "Asshole." He got up, and as he walked off, Rose asked what was going on. John launched into the story as Dave left the cafeteria. 

Finding the library was easy: he just followed some nerd carrying 4 different books. Once inside, he scanned the area, then headed for the section titled 'Romance.' As expected, Karkat was examining one of the books. He put it back and turned as Dave approached. The two boys regarded each other silently. 

........"Dammit," Karkat said. He rolled his eyes. "I didn't think you'd come in here." 

"You told me where you were," Dave pointed out. "You should have expected my stubbornness. Or are you losing your touch?" It felt good to tease him, normal. He waited for Karkat to make some sort of smartass comment, but abruptly realized that Karkat was staring at him intently. "Uh..." 

"There's no one around," Karkat muttered. "You promised you'd show me." 

Dave sighed. "You already know. Egderp himself told you." 

"I want to see them." 

The simple admission startled Dave. Most people -A.K.A everyone he'd ever met- didn't want to know, didn't want to be forced to be sympathetic. It was part of the reason he wore the shades. He hated people taking pity on him. "Karkat." He tried to say more, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. 

"Please." 

Dave sighed again, this time in defeat. He found he couldn't make Karkat sad. Reluctantly, he slid his shades off. He had to squint at first to adjust to the light, but he watched Karkat step closer in order to see his eyes. He almost expected his friend to say something corny, like in those romcoms he loved so much, but Karkat just said "Damn." 

"What's wrong?" Dave asked. He fully opened his eyes and was surprised at the colors he saw. Everything was dimmed by the shades, usually. He had never fully appreciated the school's bright color scheme. He mentally cataloged the different shades of colors while he waited for Karkat to reply. 

It took a minute. Then, "I was kind of hoping John was lying." 

Dave didn't think it was possible to be any more stunned. That sure as hell wasn't what he was expecting. "What? Why?" 

Karkat didn't seem to hear him. "I should've known he was telling the truth." He ran a hand absently along the spines of the books on the shelf next to him. "It should have been obvious, even before I knew." 

Dave reached out and gave him a little shake. "What are you going on about?" 

Karkat jumped, looking sheepish. "Kankri told me that you're always drawn to your soulmate, even before you know them," he said slowly. "That's why we moved here. He said that he had to come here, that something was calling him. That first night in town, he met Cronus. Cronus always says he knew right away, but it took Kankri about three days. I think it was just so ridiculous to him that he couldn't accept it. They're complete opposites, but they're also perfect for each other. Kankri is strict and abrasive, while Cronus is flirty and wild. They bring out the best in each other." 

Dave blinked. "Okay. What does that have to do with anything?" he asked. 

Karkat sighed in annoyance. "Kankri ran into Cronus at the grocery store. Literally ran into him. They knocked over a display stand near the door," he explained. "What I'm trying to say is that sometimes your soulmate comes into your life completely on accident. Just barrels their way in, literally. Knocks you down, makes you drop everything" He paused for a moment, hesitating, waiting. Dave didn't know what he was talking about anymore, and just watched him. Karkat took the plunge. "Like you did." 

Dave's first instinct was to deny the situation. "What? Are you saying we're soulmates? That's crazy." Only he knew it wasn't. It made sense, in a way. Dave had thought his whole life that he didn't have a soulmate. His eye had turned red when he was little. He'd never stopped to consider that maybe his eye had been grey because his soulmate hadn't been born yet. 

Karkat seemed to be following his train of thought. "Look, Strider, think about it," he demanded. "We both have red eyes. We go to the same school. That can't be a coincidence! I've never met someone else with red eyes that wasn't an albino." It was eerily similar to what Dirk had said. "You said your eye changed color when you were 2 or 3. I'm 2 and a half years younger than you. I checked." He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest. "Dave, you can't deny there's something going on here." 

Dave felt his pulse speed up slightly. Karkat had checked on his birthday? He must really be convinced, Dave thought. The idea froze him as he came to a realization. Oh my god, he thinks I'm his soulmate. That was a lot different than simply laying out the facts. "Karkat, why are you doing this?" He cringed internally at how strangled he sounded. 

"Because there's no other explanation! It's the only thing that makes sense, the only thing that could explain-" Karkat cut off abruptly, and Dave felt himself begin to hope, against all odds. 

He stepped closer, and Karkat stepped back. The younger boy seemed afraid, but Dave knew why. He held his hand out. To his surprise, Karkat took it without hesitation. They stood that way for a moment, staring at their hands. Then Dave spoke up. "It's okay," he said. Karkat shifted his gaze up. "I like you, too." 

And as he leaned down to kiss Karkat, he realized it was as simple as that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the time you read this, I'll have turned 18. My bday was Feb. 3. Got another year tucked under my belt, and boy was it crazy! Anyway, feel free to drop a comment if you have any AUs you're dying to read! 
> 
> Also, sorry for that ending. But I do intend to make this one into a whole story, with more success than my other one. I'll post it on here at some point, feel free to read it. Oh, and thanks.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one will probably be short. Also, #TW for mentions of dead people (Namely Bro) and accidental injury. 
> 
> It's a dark, stormy night in the Strider residence. Dave's friend Karkat is having trouble staying focused. Then the power goes out. 
> 
> Or 'In which Karkat is scared of storms and Dave really doesn't like the dark.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this took, guys! It's been a crazy few months, and I get writer's block real easy on top of it all, as well as getting violently absorbed into the Voltron: Legendary Defender fandom. Please forgive me if chapters take a while, and feel free to comment if you get impatient!

_CRACK!_

Karkat jumped a bit in his seat as thunder crashed outside. He glanced over to see if his friend had noticed, but Dave was too busy looking for a movie to notice. Lightning flashed, illuminating his friend's blond hair and glinting irritatingly off of his shades.

Karkat winced as he remembered the news broadcast they'd watched earlier. The weatherwoman had said that the storm would be at its worst from 8:30 to around 11:00. It was 8:50, and the storm had only been increasing in its intensity. He hoped it would calm down soon; he really didn't want Dave to start picking on him.

All at once, he realized Dave had been talking to him. He tuned back in as Dave said, "Or we could watch Zootopia." He turned to Karkat for his opinion as another round of thunder hit.

Karkat was aware of how he must look as the thunder shook the apartment: wide eyed and cowering at the opposite end of the couch. He cleared his throat before he answered. "I've been wanting to see that one," he replied. "Nepeta said it was really good."

Karkat couldn't see, but he was pretty sure Dave rolled his eyes. "Nepeta's a furry," Dave pointed out. "Remember all those yiffing incidents when it first came out?"

Karkat let out a mildly strangled laugh. "Don't remind me, Strider. Just put the damn movie on while I go get some blankets." He stood up and made his way to Dave's room. He scooped an armful of pillows and carried them into the living room, where he unceremoniously dumped them onto his friend. Dave yelled at him, but he was already in Dave's room again, this time grabbing some blankets. On his way back, there was another thunderclap, the loudest yet. He yelped and dropped the blankets.

"Karkat?" He heard Dave call. He pressed himself against the wall and tried to steady his breathing. "You good?"

"I'm fine, Strider. Be there in a second." He leaned his head back against the wall, staring at the popcorn ceiling. If he'd known there would be a storm tonight, he wouldn't have come over. He should've checked the weather. This storm was only going to get worse. Of course, he could always call Kankri to come get him, but then he'd look like a wimp.

"Karkles?" Karkat looked down. Dave was standing in the doorway. "Why are the blankets on the floor?"

Karkat summoned his flatest expression. "My arms are short," he said. He held them out, as if he needed proof. "These stupid blankets are hard to carry when you're only 5 foot 2."

Dave laughed. At 5'7", he was almost tall enough to rest his head on top of Karkat's. He leaned down and scooped up some of the blankets, leaving the rest to Karkat. Once all of the pillows and blankets were assembled into a truly epic couch fort, they settled in to watch Zootopia.

It was a truly furry movie, and Dave made sure Karkat knew it. He kept commenting snidely on how the artists shouldn't have sexualized animals like that, but Karkat could tell Dave was enjoying himself. Bashing movies was a favorite passtime of his. Sometimes, when Dave didn't think Karkat was looking, he even smiled.

It was about half an hour later, when Karkat had paused the movie to get more snacks, that the power flickered. He thought he heard a squeak from the living room, but dismissed it as his nerves playing tricks on him. He'd been tense all night, pouring all of his energy into clutching a couch cushion to keep himself from jumping whenever there was thunder.

Shortly thereafter, when Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were getting into their crazy, crime solving shenanigans, the power flickered again, once, twice. The third time it didn't come back on. Karkat heard Dave suck in a breath, felt him sit straight up. "Karkat?" Dave asked.

"Yeah?"

"Please tell me the power didn't just go out."

Karkat opened his mouth to tell Dave that, unfortunately, the power did indeed go out, but was interupted by a clap of thunder, extremely loud. What came out of his mouth instead was a string of creatively colorful curses. Dave whistled in appreciation.

"And I thought I had a potty mouth," he said. Karkat was thankful the darkness hid his curiously reddening cheeks. His voice seemed tense, and as Karkat's eyes adjusted, he saw that Dave was sitting there in the dark, looking slightly off to Karkat's left. He can't see me, Karkat realized.

"Fuck off," he replied gruffly. "Do you have any candles?" When Dave didn't answer, Karkat reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. To his utter astonishment, Dave flinched. "Hey. Do you have any candles?"

Dave took a deep breath, nodding slowly. "I- Yeah, I'll- I'll go get them." He got up and groped his way toward the kitchen, cursing quietly when he stubbed his toe. Karkat sat patiently in the dark, flinching whenever thunder struck. When Dave didn't come back fairly quickly, Karkat simply attributed it to the fact that Dave was still wearing those stupid shades, even in the dark. 

Then Karkat heard a crash from the kitchen. He was on his feet immediately, the pillow fort toppling to the ground around him. "Dave?" He called. "Is everything okay in there?" Upon receiving no answer, he inched his way past the coffee table and into the hall. "Dave?" Again, he was met with silence. With a sigh, he stepped forward quickly. "Dave, what the hell are you doing in there?"

He pushed the door to the kitchen open with a creak. Instinctively, he reached for the light switch. Of course, nothing happened. He cursed softly and moved toward the center of the kitchen. 

Likely, it was due to the darkness that he didn't see Dave spring into action. Next thing Karkat knew, there was an arm across his chest, pulling him against something hard, and something cold and razor sharp at his throat, sending a slice of pain through his neck. 

Even if he hadn't been restrained, he'd be frozen. Mostly in concern, though partially in fear as well. The object against his neck must be a blade, he realized. He knew Dave kept them in the apartment, but never knew why. Briefly, he wondered if Dave was going to kill him. The thought set him trembling. "Dave?" he asked slowly. The blade was held tightly enough to his throat that even just a word sent more pain through his body. He ignored it. "Dave, it's me." He hoped the tremor in his voice was just his imagination. "It's Karkat." 

His name seemed to jostle something loose in Dave's head. There was a curse behind him, then he was being shoved forward. He turned in time to catch a lightning bolt illuminate his friend. Dave looked horrified, face pale, breath coming in shallow gasps. The blade in his hand, some sort of sword, was visibly shaking. "Karkat." 

The boy nodded, flinching again. He was definitely bleeding; he could feel it trickling down his neck, probably soaking his shirt collar. "Yeah." It hurt to speak, so he stopped trying for the moment. He turned around and knelt down in front of the kitchen sink. Opening the cabinet, he found three white pillar candles and an array of tea candles. He picked up as many as he could hold in one arm, then stood. When he turned around, Dave was right behind him. He almost dropped the candles. "Shit, dude!" he hissed. 

"Shut up," Dave said. His hand came up and Karkat shrank away instinctively. Both boys stopped. "Can I?" 

Karkat nodded slowly, watching emotions flicker across Dave's face. Anger, hurt, worry, regret. The hand came back up, lightly prodded Karkat's neck. Pain crossed Dave's features when Karkat hissed, jerking reflexively. 

"That's pretty nasty," Dave admitted. "It might need stitches." He looked so upset that Karkat shook his head, like a dumbass. 

"Do it here," he ground out. "No ER." 

Dave stared at him, or Karkat assumed he did, then nodded. "Okay. Go sit down and get those candles lit while I get the first-aid kit." He fumbled around in his pocket for a moment, then handed Karkat a lighter. 

They separated, Karkat going back to the living room and Dave stumbling over to the bathroom. Karkat sat on the couch and lit the candles while he listened to Dave run into shit in the bathroom. He watched the flames illuminate the half-finished bowl of popcorn on the table. Hearing Dave curse, followed by a thump, forced a chuckled from him, tired and in pain as he was. 

"Okay, I've got the first-aid kit and some tissue," Dave called, slowly picking his way back to the sofa. He placed it on the coffee table, then carefully seated himself next to Karkat. "Let me take a look at it." 

Karkat tilted his chin up so that Dave could see the cut on his neck. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, it hurt pretty bad. He flinched when Dave pressed some of the tissue against it to stop the bleeding. 

"This doesn't look as bad as I thought," Dave informed his friend. "We should be able to slide by with some butterflies. Hold this to the cut." 

Karkat gave him a thumbs up and took the tissue. Dave turned away to rummage through the box on the table. He didn't seem to notice Karkat jump when thunder boomed outside, the loudest yet. 

Dave faced Karkat again. In one hand he had a bottle of rubbing alcohol and in the other, some cotton balls. He looked vaguely sympathetic, and Karkat knew this was going to hurt. Probably a lot. 

"This is going to sting a bit," Dave warned. He touched the top of a cotton ball to the lid of the alcohol and tipped the bottle upside down. Before Karkat could think to react, Dave took the tissue and replaced it with the cotton ball. Karkat yelled. "I know! I know it hurts, but we have to clean it." Dave was watching him, undoubtedly saw the tear roll down his face. "Deep breaths, Karkles. You can do it." 

Karkat sucked in a breath as Dave gently cleaned the cut. It hurt worse than anything he'd ever felt, even falling down the stairs and spraining his ankle, though he tried his best to hold still. When Dave pulled the cotton ball away, red-tinged and soaked in liquids, he nearly wept with relief. "Done?" he ground out. It still hurt to speak, and he figured it would for a while. 

"Shush. I still have to bandage you up, don't try to talk." Dave grabbed a couple of butterflies and began the process of putting them over the wound. 

Halfway through, thunder and lightning struck loudly, almost simultaneously. Karkat jumped, and Dave's hand grated along Karkat's throat. Both of them hissed.

"Shit, I'm sorry-" Dave started. 

"Fuck," Karkat muttered. 

"You alright, bro?" asked Dave. Karkat didn't answer, all of his attention focused on how warm Dave's hand was against his throat. It shouldn't have felt nice. It shouldn't have left him breathless, stomach and heart fluttering. It should have hurt. But either there was more adrenaline in his system that he thought, or Dave was being more careful than he'd ever seen him. "Karkles?" Or some combination of the two. 

He startled again, wincing when Dave's hand brushed the cut on his neck. Not wanting to speak, moved his hand in a so-so motion and gestured to his neck. Dave slowly moved his hand and started working again. 

"Almost done," Dave promised. "Just a couple more." Karkat didn't make an effort to reply, and so silence fell. It wasn't the comfortable silence of earlier; Karkat could feel the tension in the air. He knew Dave wouldn't want to talk about what happened, and he also knew that Dave avoided topics he was scared of. It made sense in his mind, due to these facts, that he had somehow scared his friend into attacking him, something that made him feel immensely guilty. 

He was yanked from his thoughts by Dave leaning back, looking down at the blood on his hands. There was more than Karkat had anticipated. "Done," muttered Dave. "Just, don't yell for a while. And don't talk so much. I'm going to go wash my hands." 

While he was gone, Karkat took the time to tilt his head slowly from side to side, testing the bandages and butterflies holding his skin closed. He couldn't move too far, but he could still nod and shake his head without too much pain. It was while he was turning his head from side to side that he noticed Dave's shades sitting next to the popcorn bowl. 

The sight froze him. Dave had taken his shades off? Those infernal pieces of glass meant so much to him that he wore them everywhere, and he had removed them. Karkat knew it was because Dave couldn't have seen what he was doing with them on, and yet seeing them on the table warmed his heart. How had he not noticed before? Had he been so pre-occupied with his wound that he had failed to notice Dave remove his most treasured possession? 

Without really thinking about what he was doing, he carefully leaned over and picked the shades up. Just cradling them in his hands felt oddly intimate. He ran a finger over the rims, trying not to smudge the glass or get blood on it. He couldn't see what was so special about them, other than the fact that they were a gag gift from Egbert. 

"Karkat." He flinched, feeling for some reason like he'd just been caught doing something he shouldn't. Karkat didn't want to look up. "What are you doing?" Dave's voice was soft. 

Karkat cleared his throat. It didn't hurt as bad as he had expected. "Looking," he stated simply. 

Dave surprised him by chuckling. "Trying to figure out why I wear them all the time?" His feet came into Karkat's view, and the couch dipped. "I'll admit, at first I wore them to be ironic. Now I wear them because they're better than the other pairs I have." 

Karkat knew what he meant without having to ask. All of Dave's other shades were pointed, and doubtless reminded him of Bro. "Why wear any shades at all?" Karkat whispered. 

Dave reached out and placed his hand on Karkat's. "I have to," he replied. 

"But why?" Karkat's free hand curled around Dave's shades. "Why do you have to?" 

There was a sigh, and Dave's hand tightened over Karkat's. His other hand gently removed the shades from Karkat's fist. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." 

"Try me." Karkat finally looked up from the shades, only to find Dave staring intently at their hands. He seemed surprisingly hesitant, as if he were ashamed of needing the shades. "Dave?" 

"Don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you," demanded Dave quietly. "Got it?" 

"I- Yeah."

"Promise?"

"Of course."

Dave squeezed his hand, then lifted his head just enough to peek up at Karkat. 

Even if Dave looking at him like that, vulnerable and shy, hadn't set his heart racing, what he saw would have. Dave's eyes were red, soft yet somehow also sharp. The color of the blood that was staining Karkat's shirt. Somehow, in that moment, everything about Dave left him breathless. "Dave..." 

The other boy lowered his gaze, behaving with a sort of hesitancy Karkat had never seen from him before. Karkat wanted to lift his chin back up, but felt that would be too intimate. 

"Bro always made me wear them," Dave murmured. "He said that Striders were too cool to not wear sunglasses, but I know he just didn't want anyone to know what a freak I was. So I wore them, and I still wear them, because what natural human being has red eyes? Even albinos don't." He sounded so defeated. It was too unnatural, too out-of-character for him. And once the floodgates were opened, they didn't seem able to close. "He taught me from a young age to always be prepared for a fight. He expected me to strife anywhere, even and especially at night. If you can't keep your guard up at all times, you're going to get hurt. That was his motto. That's why I had that sword when you came into the kitchen. I forgot where I was. I forgot that he wasn't around to test me, wasn't around to make me hate the dark, because I never knew when he'd strike." 

Karkat could feel his heart ache for this boy with the cool kid facade, who hid everything with lame puns and raps. "Dave." 

Dave didn't seem to hear him. "And the worst thing is, I'm glad he's gone. I still miss him sometimes because he was my Bro, and I know it's fucked up, but I'm so relieved that he isn't here anymore. No more sudden sparring that could leave me seriously injured, no more wondering whether I'll be allowed to sleep through the night. No more-"

"Dave," Karkat said, a little louder than was probably wise. He felt his neck protest. But it got the other's attention. Dave stopped mid-sentence and glanced up at his friend, head still bowed. "You're not a bad person." 

He watched Dave's shoulder slump, saw him take a deep breath. "Sorry," he muttered. "Shouldn't have rambled like that. I was trying to apologize for what happened in the kitchen. I guess the instinct to defend myself is still pretty hardwired, huh?" 

Karkat forced a chuckle. "Guess so." Lightning illuminated the room, making Karkat's wince at the sound of thunder that followed very visible. 

"Karkles?" Dave was staring right at him now, concern plastered over his face. "Are you alright?"

"Don't like storms," Karkat admitted softly. He pulled his knees against his chest amd wrapped his arms around them. "It's fine."

He didn't expect Dave to scoot closer, didn't expect to feel arms around his shoulders, didn't expect the hug. Without time to prepare himself, he simply melted into it. "Why didn't you say something?" Dave asked. 

"Not a big deal." Karkat allowed himself, briefly, to bask in the warmth of his friend's body. Then he pushed himself upright, and Dave's arms fell away. He couldn't let himself get the wrong idea. Dave was just trying to be a good friend. That was all it was, all it could be. Dave wasn't gay. 

Dave blinked at him. It was a strange sight, his bare face, but not an unpleasant one. "You should have said something," he scolded. "I could have helped you." Karkat's current state of mind, how flustered he was by Dave's proximity, sent heat rushing to his face. He silently, and violently, cursed teenage hormones and everything else about puberty. "Why are you blushing? What is up with you tonight?" 

"What do you mean?" Karkat was really hoping Dave wasn't going where he thought he was. 

"Don't play dumb. You've been weird all night. Some of it is the storm, I know that now. But I'm confused. You should have struggled when I was holding you in the kitchen. Any sane person would have. But you didn't. It would make sense if you were just scared of being hurt, but you started talking to me. You cut your own neck up trying to calm me down. Then there was the incident with the storm. People general yell, or flinch, or do _something_ when they get hit right on a wound. Twice. Yet you didn't even move, you just kept staring off into space. Not to mention right now, when you're sitting right in front of me red as a cherry. What did I say that has you in such a tizzy?" 

Karkat cursed at himself as he tried to come up with a plausible excuse. He felt Dave's hand, still touching his, shift a bit, and jerked away instinctively. Both boys paused, Dave tilting his head to the side.   _Fuck,_ Karkat thought. He knew that he'd given himself away.

Dave was silent for a moment. "Is it something to do with touching me?" he wondered aloud. Karkat knew he could say yes, could pretend he was afraid of Dave touching him because of what happened in the kitchen. He knew Dave wouldn't push it, that he'd back off. But poor Karkat couldn't utter a word. Dave raised an eyebrow. "Oh. I think I get it."

"Shut up, Strider," snapped Karkat. 

Dave cocked his head to the side, smirking. "Why? I didn't say anything. All I did was look at you." He twisted until he could look directly at Karkat again. "Do you like my eyes, Karkat?" he asked. He winked, and watched the other's eyes widen just a fraction.  

Karkat glared at him. Dave's mood swings were something he would never understand. "Fuck you, Dave." 

Dave leaned closer, invading Karkat's personal space. "Would you?" he asked. 

Karkat choked. It hurt, but he was more mortified than in pain. "Dave!"

"What? I'm not allowed to ask whether you'd fuck me?" 

"No! Not when I'm-" He stopped himself. 

"Not when you're what?" Dave moved even closer, forcing Karkat to go slightly cross-eyed to look at him. 

"Not when I'm flustered and pubescent!"

Dave snorted and bumped his nose against Karkat's. They were so close that if either of them moved forward at all, they'd surely kiss. "Why not?" he whispered, in a tone that made Karkat shiver. "Are you afraid of the answer?" 

Karkat couldn't help the soft whimper that forced its way from his throat. He wanted to lean away, break the tension and go back to the way things had been earlier. He wanted to forget this had happened. Yet he found he couldn't move. 

Dave smiled. "I knew it," he murmured. Karkat could feel his breath on his lips. Dave suddenly leaned forward, closed the gap between them, and pressed a chaste kiss to Karkat's lips. Karkat went rigid, certain it was just a joke. Then Dave's hand came up and skimmed Karkat's shoulder, down and around his arm, to rest on his back. 

Karkat pulled away, staring at Dave with red cheeks and blown pupils. Dave was waiting, the smallest of smiles curving his lips. "What was... What was that?" Karkat whispered. 

"A kiss," Dave answered. "What else would it be?" As if kissing was a normal thing for best friend to do.

A clap of thunder spared Karkat from having to answer. He jumped, instinctively burrowing his head in Dave's shirt. The other boy laughed. "Shut up, Dave." 

Dave rested his head on top of Karkat's. "It's just noise, you're okay," he muttered.

"It's a loud, sudden noise," Karkat protested.

Dave chuckled. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll protect you." He stifled a yawn. 

"You're tired," Karkat accused. He used his head to nudge Dave backward against the couch. Surprisingly, Dave didn't fight it. Once the other boy lay flat, Karkat settled next to him, head resting on his chest. He positioned himself carefully so as not to disturb the bandages, and pulled one of the fort blankets over Dave.

"I gotta say," Dave began conversationally, "I'm a bit surprised you haven't run in fear yet." 

Karkat twisted a bit to look at him. "Run?" he said quietly. 

Dave sighed. "From me," he clarified. "You aren't scared, or at least not as much as you should be. I hurt you, Kitkat. I cut you." He stated it matter-of-factly, yet he sounded upset. 

"And?"

"Any sane person would be terrified of me." 

Karkat sat up to stare Dave in the eyes. "Clearly not sane," he whispered. This time, he kissed Dave. Dave responded eagerly, with an intensity that surprised Karkat. After several seconds, he pulled back. He was grinning. "Bit excited?" 

Dave groaned, consequentially making Karkat shudder. His arms came around the smaller boy's waist and tightened, holding him in place. "You probably have no clue how long I've waited for that," he said. 

Karkat shrugged. "No." 

"It's been a while," Dave admitted. "What about you? How long have you wanted that?" 

Karkat laid his head on Dave's shoulder and thought. How long  _had_ he wanted this? He wasn't sure. It had certainly been a while, if he really thought about it. Things between them hadn't seemed to shift all that much in the past year, so he had to assume it was sometime before then. He prodded his memories, sifting through them. One in particular caught his attention. 

They were 15. Dave and Karkat had gone over to John's to celebrate his 15th birthday. Mr. Egbert had stuffed them with cake and then directed them to the backyard to play while he cleaned up. Dave wanted to jump on the old trampoline. Karkat had just rolled his eyes and sat stubbornly on the grass. John was showing Jade a terrible magic trick, and Rose was reading a book a few feet away, so Dave had clambered onto the trampoline alone and surprised Karkat by doing flips. 

It was an old trampoline, though. Dave accidentally broke the net coming down and fell right through to the ground. Karkat couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so hard. Dave had crawled out from beneath the net with as stoic a face as he could manage, but he took one look at his friends, all staring at him now, and grinned sheepishly. Karkat hadn't been surprised that Dave wasn't hurt; that boy could have survived the apocalypse. He had been surprised by his sudden realization that he liked Dave when he looked like that. It had just snowballed from there. 

Now, Karkat came back to himself. Dave was still waiting for an answer. "Trampoline," Karkat said. 

Dave's brow scrunched in confusion. "Trampoline?" he repeated. 

"Egbert's party." 

Karkat watched Dave's eyes light up with recognition. "Oh." 

"Yeah." 

"That was years ago," Dave recounted. "My shoulder was bruised for a week." 

Karkat laughed. "And you wouldn't stop complaining about how your ass hurt." 

Dave lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "You wouldn't stop telling me to quit talking about my ass. Remember?" 

"How could I forget?" Karkat muttered. The weeks that had followed Egbert's party had been rough. Kankri had suddenly been made to relocate for his job, and they had moved from Washington to Texas. Karkat had shoved them all in the corners of his mind, assuming he'd never see them again. 

As if following his train of thought, Dave spoke. "You moved after that." 

"Yeah. Thought I'd never see you guys." 

Dave moved around so his chin was touching Karkat's head. "Because you didn't get our phones or emails before you left," he accused. "You didn't even tell us." The twinge of an old hurt was in his voice, but only barely. They'd had something like this conversation years ago, after Dave showed up in Texas. 

It had been a normal school day for him, which meant he was hot and miserable. It was two months after they had moved, and he was still adjusting to the heat. More than anything, he missed his friends. He hated Kankri for not letting him tell anyone they were leaving. And the kids here sucked. They picked on him constantly, about any number of things. How small he was, how dirty he looked, the fact that he was pale instead of tanned like the rest of them. He hated them, too. 

It was after lunch, and he was pulling stuff out of his locker. He'd been hearing whispers about a new kid all day. He didn't care; the school was so small that a teacher seen outside of school was good gossip. So he hadn't necessarily been paying attention to the rumor, until it had unfolded in front of him.

He was used to being beat up, so he didn't really do much when a nasty punch landed on his arm. He flinched, of course, because it still hurt. But he just kept looking for his math book. That is, until whoever had punched him grabbed him from behind in what was still the roughest hug he'd ever had. The person had muttered, "Where the fuck have you been?" and he had recognized Dave's voice almost instantly. It had been the happiest day of his life. 

"Blame Kankri. Didn't want a fuss." Karkat yawned loudly. "You found me, anyway." 

Dave snorted. "And it took forever, too. You are hard to track down, Kitkat." He adjusted the blanket so it would cover them both. 

Karkat snuggled into the warmth. "How did you find me?" he asked.

There was a sigh. "I didn't. As mixed as my feelings about him are, Bro was good for something." 

"Bro found us? Why?" 

"Probably because I went ballistic after you left. We thought you'd just come down with something, until John's dad went to your old place to check on you. Everyone was shocked that you were gone, but I probably took it a little too far. I freaked out so bad. And then Bro, the fucker, he tried to make me strife at some point and I got injured pretty bad. Most of those couple months is a blur. I think I got kicked out of school? Eventually, I guess he had enough, because he tracked you to Texas and told me we were moving." 

Karkat wrapped his arms around Dave as well as he could. He knew exactly which scar Dave was talking about. He had acquired new ones during that time, but none quite so grisly as the one on his lower stomach. "But how?" He yawned again. He was fighting to keep his eyes open. 

Dave shook his head. "You need to sleep, dude," he stated. 

"No," murmured Karkat. 

"Yes. I'll tell you in the morning, okay?" 

Karkat grunted and tilted his face up. Dave, being Dave, knew what he wanted, and kissed him again for a moment. Then he drew back. 

"Try to sleep," Dave told him softly. And how could Karkat argue against that? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Christ on a toast. I knew it had been a while since I started this thing, but almost 2 years? What the fuck. 
> 
> I've been working on this one for literal centuries, and I'm just glad it's posted. If there's any grammar or spelling errors, tell me. K, thx.


End file.
